When does a landlord need an EPC?

An EPC is an Energy Performance Certificate. Any landlord who is letting a property must have an EPC. In fact, depending on the type of property you are letting, you may need more than one.

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Different dwellings have different requirements

You can have one EPC for an individual dwelling or house. That means a property that is self-contained and has its own bathroom and kitchen facilities. If a flat is completely self-contained, it only needs one EPC. In this case, self-contained means that the flat is completely within its own front door and has its own bathroom and kitchen. However, that is one EPC per flat, so if you own several flats in a single house, you will need one for each flat because different living spaces can have different energy performance.

If you’re letting individual rooms or bedsits where the tenants share a kitchen, a toilet or a bathroom, each room will have its own tenancy agreement. No EPC is required here. This is also true when a room is part of a hostel or a hall of residence.

If you’re letting a house or flat as a house share or flatshare – for example, to students or professionals – they will have a single tenancy agreement. In this case, you need one EPC for the whole house.

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If you have a hybrid arrangement where you are letting some non-self contained dwellings and some self-contained ones, you need an EPC for each of the self-contained flats but you don’t need one for the rest of the property.

There is more government information on how energy efficiency affects domestic landlords at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/713159/Domestic_Private_Rented_Landlord_Guidance_-_June_18.pdf.

One of the easiest ways to deal with this is by using https://inventorybase.co.uk/ property inventory software, which allows estate agents and landlords to keep track of the documentation required for each property.

Fixed penalties

Where necessary, you have to have an EPC and make it available if required. There’s a fixed penalty regime if you don’t comply with these requirements. The penalty is £200 per “dwelling”, or per unit of accommodation that should have had an EPC under the regulations. However, enforcement action has to take place within six months.

Don’t wait for a penalty; go ahead and get the EPC done before it’s too late!