How do you check whether a property already has an EPC?
Search the government’s Find an energy certificate service by postcode. Because certificates last ten years and belong to the property, most homes sold or let since 2016 already have a valid one. Checking first avoids paying for an assessment you do not actually need.
- The register is free and public.
- Search by postcode, then pick the address from the list.
- The most recent lodged certificate is the valid one.
- Commission a new one if the property has been improved since.
Search the register first
Before paying for an assessment, check whether one already exists. The government's Find an energy certificate service is free, public and searchable by postcode. Enter the postcode, pick the address from the list, and the current certificate appears with its expiry date.
Because EPCs last ten years and attach to the property rather than the owner, most homes that have been sold or let since 2016 already have a live certificate. A surprising number of people pay for a second one without checking.
What the register shows you
- The current band and SAP score
- The date it was lodged and the date it expires
- The full recommendations report
- The assessor and accreditation scheme
- Previous certificates for the same address, where they exist
That history is useful. If a property has moved from E to D over two assessments, the earlier certificate often shows what changed.
When to commission a new one anyway
- You have improved the property. The certificate does not update itself — insulation, a new boiler or new glazing only count once a fresh assessment records them.
- Expiry falls inside the transaction. If the certificate lapses mid-sale, renew before marketing rather than during.
- The old one looks wrong. Defaulted assumptions from a rushed survey are common, and correcting them can be worth a band.
- You are a landlord near the threshold. If it says E and the floor is moving to C, you need an accurate current number to plan against.
What if there is no certificate?
Then you need one before marketing. That is the normal position for a property that has been in the same hands for more than a decade, and for anything newly converted. Get a quote, or read about our domestic EPC service.
Looking for your own area? We have local EPC guides for Rugby town centre, Hillmorton, Newbold on Avon, Overslade, Brownsover, Bilton, Brinklow and every other Rugby area.