For landlords
Does my rental property need an EPC?
Yes, for most lettings. You must have a valid EPC in place, or at least have commissioned one, when you market a property. A few kinds of letting sit outside the certificate requirement altogether. The certificate is valid for ten years, so you do not need a fresh one for every tenancy, provided the existing one is still current and still reflects the property.
What the advert has to say, and by when the certificate has to exist
The energy performance indicator shown on the EPC, for example C, has to be stated in any advertisement in the commercial media, where it is available. Commissioning one does not remove the duty to obtain it: all reasonable efforts have to be used to obtain the EPC within 7 days, and a further 21 days is allowed where it cannot be obtained within the 7 despite those efforts.
What rating does it have to reach?
Under the minimum energy efficiency standard, most private rented homes in England must reach at least band E to be let. In practice a property rated F or G cannot be let unless you have registered a valid exemption, and the registration is what you rely on if anyone asks. A few property types sit outside the standard or are treated differently, such as some listed buildings and certain kinds of letting, so check the GOV.UK guidance for your property. Where the certificate sits among the records a landlord keeps is in our guide to what records to keep and for how long.
Where do I check whether one already exists?
On the government's EPC register, which is a quick first check before listing.
When do I have to hand it over?
You must make the EPC available to a prospective tenant at the earliest opportunity. Where somebody requests information about the property, that is no later than when you first give them any information about it in writing; where somebody asks to view it, no later than the viewing itself. And you must give a valid EPC, free of charge, to the person who becomes the tenant. Where it sits among the other certificates is set out in our 2026 landlord compliance checklist for England.
Common questions
Does a rental property need an EPC in England?
Yes, for most lettings, and a few kinds of letting sit outside the requirement altogether. A valid EPC has to be in place, or at least commissioned, when the property is marketed, and it lasts ten years, so a fresh one is not needed for every tenancy provided the existing one is still current and still reflects the property. The EPC has to be given to the tenant.
What is the minimum EPC rating to let a property in England?
Most private rented homes in England must reach at least band E to be let under the minimum energy efficiency standard, so a property rated F or G cannot be let unless a valid exemption is in place. A few property types sit outside the standard or are treated differently, such as some listed buildings and certain kinds of letting, so check the GOV.UK guidance for your property.
Sources
The primary sources behind this guide. Where the law and a summary disagree, the law is what counts.