How to Check Your Property’s EPC Rating

Checking your property’s EPC rating is the essential first step in understanding where you stand ahead of the October 2030 Band C deadline. Whether you are a landlord preparing your portfolio for compliance, a homeowner planning improvements, or a tenant wanting to understand your home’s energy efficiency, the process takes less than 60 seconds.

This guide covers the fastest way to check your rating, what the certificate actually tells you, how to interpret your SAP score, and what to do if your property does not appear on the register.

Using our postcode tool

The quickest way to check your property’s EPC rating is the free postcode lookup tool on this site. Enter your postcode and you will see every property at that postcode with an EPC on record, including:

• Current EPC band (A to G) with the colour-coded badge
• SAP score — the numeric score that determines your band
• Whether the certificate has expired (EPCs are valid for 10 years)
• How many SAP points you need to reach Band C (the 2030 minimum for landlords)
• Recommended improvements with indicative cost ranges and SAP point gains
• Property type and built form (e.g. House · Mid-Terrace)
• Heating type and main fuel (e.g. gas boiler, electric storage heaters)

The official EPC register

The government maintains the official EPC register at find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk. You can search by:

• Postcode: Returns all properties at that postcode with a lodged EPC
• Address: Search by street name and number for a specific property
• Certificate number: If you have the 20-digit reference from a previous certificate

The official register provides a downloadable PDF of the full certificate, including the assessor’s name, the assessment date and the detailed breakdown of energy use by category.

What the certificate shows

An EPC contains more information than most people realise. Beyond the headline band rating, the certificate includes:

• Current and potential ratings: The current rating is what the property achieves now. The potential rating is what it could achieve if all recommended improvements were carried out.
• Estimated energy costs: Annual heating, hot water and lighting costs broken down by category, with both current and potential figures.
• Environmental impact: CO₂ emissions rating on the same A–G scale.
• Recommended improvements: A prioritised list of measures the assessor believes would improve the rating, with indicative cost ranges and typical SAP point gains.
• Property characteristics: Wall type, roof type, glazing, heating system, floor type and whether each has insulation.

For landlords, the most important sections are the current SAP score (which determines whether you meet Band C), the recommended improvements (which tell you what to do about it) and the potential rating (which tells you whether Band C is achievable for this property). For a deeper look at what the bands mean, see our guide on EPC bands explained.

Understanding your SAP score

The SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) score is the number that determines your EPC band. It runs from 1 to 100, with higher scores meaning better energy efficiency. The band thresholds are:

• Band A: 92–100 SAP points
• Band B: 81–91 SAP points
• Band C: 69–80 SAP points
• Band D: 55–68 SAP points
• Band E: 39–54 SAP points
• Band F: 21–38 SAP points
• Band G: 1–20 SAP points

For landlords, the critical threshold is 69 SAP points — the bottom of Band C. If your property scores 68 or below, it does not meet the October 2030 minimum and will require either improvements or a registered exemption. Our tool shows you exactly how many points you need to close the gap.

For a technical deep-dive into how SAP scoring works and how different improvements affect it, see our guide on SAP points and EPC ratings.

What to do if you cannot find your EPC

If your property does not appear on the EPC register or in our postcode tool, there are several possible reasons:

• No EPC has ever been lodged: Properties built or sold before the EPC requirement came into force (2007 for sales, 2008 for lettings) may never have had one. If the property has not been sold, let or significantly renovated since then, there may be no EPC on record.
• The EPC was lodged under a different address format: Try searching with different address variations — flat numbers, building names or postcode formats can vary between records.
• The EPC has expired and been removed: Very old EPCs (more than 20 years) may have been removed from the register, though in practice most are still accessible.
• Data entry error: In rare cases, the assessor may have lodged the EPC under an incorrect address or postcode.

If you cannot find your property’s EPC and you need one (for letting, selling or compliance), commission a new assessment from a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor. This typically costs £60–£120 and takes 45–90 minutes on site.

When you need a new EPC

Even if your current EPC is valid, there are situations where getting a new one makes sense:

• After making improvements: If you have installed insulation, upgraded your heating system or made other energy efficiency improvements, your SAP score has likely changed. A new EPC will reflect the improved rating.
• Before October 2029: The EPC methodology changes from SAP to HEM in October 2029. Getting a new EPC before that date locks in an assessment under the current methodology, valid for 10 years.
• When your current EPC expires: An expired EPC cannot be used for any legal purpose.
• Before marketing a property: You must have a valid EPC before advertising a property for sale or rent.

For the full picture on how to improve your rating once you know where you stand, see our guide on how to improve your rental property’s EPC rating.