An EPC must be commissioned before a property is marketed for sale, and estate agents are required to hold or have applied for a valid EPC before advertising the property, and to include the rating in property particulars. A valid EPC lasts ten years, so many sales proceed on an existing certificate without a new one being needed. Conveyancers typically request a copy for the transaction file, and the certificate itself has no bearing on when completion can take place.
rating shown in particulars, full EPC provided on request
Effect on completion
None directly
EPC doesn't block exchange or completion
When an EPC is legally required in a sale
The legal requirement is that a valid EPC must be commissioned before a residential property is put on the market, and available to prospective buyers no later than particulars being issued in most cases. In practice this means sellers should arrange an EPC at the same time as instructing an estate agent, or before, rather than waiting until an offer is accepted. Estate agents carry a related duty: they must not market a property without having a valid EPC in place, or evidence that one has been ordered.
The seller (or their agent, acting on their behalf) is responsible for commissioning the EPC.
It should be in place before the first advertisement of the property, whether online or via a for-sale board.
Agents must include the EPC rating on the property particulars and any online listing.
The full EPC document must be provided to anyone requesting it during the marketing process.
Can an existing EPC be reused?
Yes, provided it remains within its ten-year validity period from the date it was lodged on the register, and provided the property hasn't changed materially since. Many sellers already have a valid EPC from when they bought the property, from a previous letting, or from earlier marketing that didn't complete, and there is no requirement to commission a fresh one purely because ownership is changing. Checking the register for an existing certificate before ordering a new one can save time and cost.
Search the property address on the national EPC register to check for an existing, in-date certificate.
Confirm the assessment date is within the last ten years.
Check whether significant works (extension, new heating system, replacement windows) have happened since the last assessment.
If the property has changed materially, a new EPC will more accurately reflect its current condition and rating.
The buildings behind this advice
What estate agents are responsible for
Estate agents sit at the centre of EPC compliance in a sale, since they control when and how a property is marketed. Trading standards enforce these requirements, and agents who advertise without a valid EPC or a request for one already in progress risk a penalty. Good agents build EPC checks into their instruction process as standard, but it remains useful for sellers and conveyancers to confirm it has actually happened rather than assuming.
Confirm a valid EPC exists, or has been ordered, before accepting instruction to market.
Display the energy efficiency rating prominently in particulars and online listings.
Provide the full EPC to any party who requests it during marketing.
Keep evidence of when the EPC was ordered, in case of a trading standards query.
Agent onboarding checklist for a new instruction
Search the register for an existing, valid EPCcheck assessment date and current rating
If none exists, book an EPC before or alongside photographyavoid marketing before the certificate is in hand
Add the rating to particulars and portalsrequired field on most major listing sites regardless
Store the certificate for buyer requestsreadily available rather than chased after enquiry
What conveyancers typically need
Conveyancers acting for the seller usually request a copy of the EPC for the transaction file and may reference it in the property information form, though the EPC itself is not a document that needs to be formally handed over at completion in the way title documents are. Buyers' conveyancers sometimes flag a poor rating as a point worth raising with their client, particularly where MEES might affect a buy-to-let purchase, but this is advisory rather than a legal condition of the sale proceeding.
The seller's conveyancer typically obtains a copy of the EPC for the file, often via the estate agent.
A poor rating does not create a legal defect in title or prevent exchange or completion.
Buy-to-let purchasers' conveyancers may flag MEES implications if the rating is F or G.
Some mortgage lenders now ask for EPC information as part of their lending criteria, particularly for new-build or green mortgage products.
What happens if a sale falls through and re-starts
If a sale collapses and the property is re-marketed within the EPC's ten-year validity, the original certificate can usually be reused without needing a fresh assessment, provided nothing about the property's fabric or services has changed in the interim. Where a sale drags on for a long period, or the property undergoes works while under offer, it is worth checking the EPC is still an accurate reflection before the details are recirculated.
Reuse the existing EPC if it remains in date and the property is unchanged.
Order a new EPC if significant works have taken place since the last assessment.
Re-confirm the rating shown on particulars matches the register before re-marketing.
New builds and off-plan sales
New build properties need a predicted EPC based on the design (a Predicted Energy Assessment) during marketing, and then a final, as-built EPC once construction is complete and before legal completion in most cases, since the final SAP calculation reflects what was actually built rather than what was designed. This two-stage process is specific to new construction and differs from the single-EPC approach used for existing housing stock changing hands.
Turnaround times and avoiding delays
The most common way an EPC causes friction in a sale is timing: a seller instructs an agent, photography and marketing are arranged, and only then does someone notice there's no valid EPC in place, creating an avoidable delay to going live on the portals. Booking the EPC assessment as one of the first steps after instructing an agent, alongside or before professional photography, keeps the process moving and avoids a last-minute scramble.
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