An EPC is required whenever a building is built, sold, or let to a new tenant. This

requirement was introduced in stages, beginning on 1 August 2007.

An EPC is only required for a dwelling that is self contained – i.e. one that it does not

share essential facilities such as a bathroom/shower room, wc or kitchen with any

other dwelling, and that it has its own entrance, either from outside or through common

parts, that is not through another unit.

Existing dwellings

The purpose of the EPC is to show prospective tenants or buyers the energy

performance of the dwelling they are considering. Therefore, the landlord or seller

must commission an EPC and ensure that a copy of it is available free of charge to

interested parties at the earliest opportunity. As a minimum, this should be when

prospective tenants or buyers are first given written information about a dwelling or are

arranging to view it.

A copy of the EPC must be always given free of charge to the person who ultimately

becomes the tenant or the new owner of a property, before any contract is entered into.

An EPC does not have to be made available if the seller or prospective landlord

believes on reasonable grounds that:

• the prospective buyer or tenant is unlikely to have sufficient funds to purchase the

building or is not genuinely interested in buying or renting a building of that type

• the seller or prospective landlord is unlikely to be prepared to sell or rent the

building to the prospective buyer or tenant. However this does not authorise

unlawful discrimination

Where the landlord or seller has an agent, the agent may be given the task of ensuring

that these requirements are met. However, the landlord or seller will remain

responsible for any breaches.

New dwellings

When a new dwelling is constructed and is physically complete, it is the responsibility

of the person carrying out the construction to give an Energy Performance Certificate

(full standard assessment procedure or SAP EPC) to the building owner and to notify

building control that this has been done. Building control will not issue a certificate of

completion until they are satisfied this has been done.

Similarly, if a dwelling is modified to have more or fewer parts than it originally had and

the modification includes the provision or extension of fixed services for heating, air

conditioning or mechanical ventilation (i.e. those services that condition the indoor

climate for the benefits of the occupants) then a full SAP EPC will be required. When

the modifications are physically complete, it is the responsibility of the person carrying

out the modification works to give a full SAP EPC to the building owner and to notify

building control that this has been done. Building control will not issue a certificate of

completion until they are satisfied this has been done.

An EPC relates to a single dwelling, so if a building is converted such that it will

contain more, or fewer, separate dwellings than before, a new full SAP EPC will be

required in relation to each new self contained dwelling.