My EPC Has Expired — What Do I Need to Do?

An Energy Performance Certificate lasts 10 years from the date it was lodged on the register. After that, it expires. If you are letting a property with an expired EPC — or without one at all — you are already breaking the law, and the consequences are about to get much more serious.

This guide covers what to do if your EPC has expired, how to check its status, what a new assessment involves, and why timing your renewal carefully could save you significant money and hassle before the October 2030 Band C deadline.

How long does an EPC last?

An EPC is valid for 10 years from the date the certificate was lodged on the EPC register — not from the date you received it or the date of the property inspection. The lodgement date is printed on the certificate and recorded on the public register.

A certificate produced in March 2016 expired in March 2026. One produced in July 2017 will expire in July 2027. There is no grace period and no automatic renewal. Once the 10-year mark passes, the certificate is no longer valid and you cannot legally rely on it.

What happens if you let without a valid EPC?

It is a legal requirement to have a valid EPC before you market a property for let and to provide a copy to the tenant before they sign the tenancy agreement. Letting without a valid EPC is an offence under the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012.

The consequences include:

• A fixed penalty of £200 per property per offence under current enforcement rules. This is enforced by Trading Standards.
• Invalidation of a Section 21 notice: If you have not provided your tenant with a valid EPC, you cannot serve a valid Section 21 notice to end the tenancy. This is a significant practical consequence — see our guide on EPC and Section 21 requirements for details.
• From October 2030: Fines rise to up to £30,000 per property for non-compliance with Band C requirements. An expired EPC means you cannot demonstrate compliance at all.

How to check if your EPC has expired

You can check the status of any EPC in England and Wales using the government’s public register at find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk, or you can use our free postcode lookup tool, which pulls directly from the same data and shows whether each certificate is current or expired.

Our tool flags expired certificates clearly and shows the expiry date alongside the current rating, SAP score and recommended improvements. If you manage multiple properties, you can check each postcode in seconds.

What to look for:

• Lodgement date: The date the EPC was registered. Add 10 years to find the expiry date.
• Certificate status: Our tool shows whether the certificate is “Valid” or “Expired”.
• Current rating: Even if the certificate is expired, the last known rating gives you a baseline for planning.

Arranging a new EPC assessment

If your EPC has expired, you need to commission a new assessment from an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). The process is straightforward:

• Find an assessor: Search for accredited assessors through one of the government-approved accreditation schemes (Elmhurst Energy, Quidos, Stroma, ECMK or Sterling). You can also search via the EPC register website.
• Book the visit: Most assessors can visit within one to two weeks. In busy periods, lead times may be longer.
• The on-site assessment: The assessor visits the property, typically for 45 minutes to 2 hours depending on the property size. They inspect and record the building fabric, heating system, hot water, lighting and any renewable energy installations.
• Certificate production: The assessor inputs the data into approved software, which calculates the SAP score. The certificate is usually lodged on the register within 24–48 hours of the visit.

You do not need to be present for the assessment, but someone must provide access to all rooms, the loft (if accessible) and the boiler. If areas are inaccessible, the assessor will use default assumptions — which are typically less favourable than measured values.

Typical EPC assessment costs

EPC assessment costs vary by property type, location and the assessor. As a guide:

For more detail on pricing and what to watch out for, see our guide on EPC assessment costs in 2026.

Timing: get assessed before October 2029

If your EPC has expired and you need a new one, when you get it matters as much as whether you get it. From October 2029, the government is replacing the current SAP methodology with the new Home Energy Model (HEM). This will change how scores are calculated and may make Band C harder to achieve for some property types.

The critical point: an EPC assessed under SAP before October 2029 remains valid for 10 years, taking you well past the 2030 compliance deadline. If you wait until after October 2029, your assessment will use HEM, and the outcome is less predictable.

For landlords with expired certificates, the optimal approach is:

• Step 1: Check your current rating using our free lookup tool.
• Step 2: If improvements are needed, plan and complete them before getting reassessed.
• Step 3: Commission a new EPC under SAP before October 2029 to lock in your Band C rating for a decade.

For a detailed explanation of the HEM switch and its implications, see our guide on the hidden 2029 EPC deadline.

What to do if your new EPC is worse than expected

It is not uncommon for a new EPC to produce a lower score than the previous one, even if the property has not changed. This can happen because:

• Methodology updates: SAP has been updated since your last assessment. SAP 10.2, for example, uses different carbon factors and fuel costs than SAP 2012.
• Assessor variation: Different assessors may record slightly different inputs, particularly for wall types, insulation assumptions and window specifications. These small differences can shift the score by a few points.
• Property deterioration: If windows have degraded, insulation has settled or a boiler has been replaced with a less efficient model, the score will reflect that.

If the score is lower than expected, check the certificate details carefully. If you believe the assessor has made an error (e.g. recorded solid walls when you have cavity walls), you can raise a complaint through the accreditation scheme. Otherwise, use the recommended improvements listed on the certificate to plan your next steps.