Yes. Enforcement of the EPC regulations is the responsibility of the Department of Finance (DoF) and district councils. Except for their own pertinent public buildings, where DoF is the enforcement authority, district councils enforce in respect to all other relevant public buildings.
A penalty charge notice may be issued if you don’t follow the rules or if an enforcer asks you to provide pertinent papers.
For each violation of failing to do any of the following, the fine is £200 for a dwelling and 12.5% of the net annual value for non-dwellings.
- make a valid EPC available without charge to any potential tenant or buyer.
- Give a genuine EPC without charge to the individual who will eventually become the buyer or tenant.
- give an EPC to the building’s owner no later than five days after the work is finished.
- make a suggestion report that goes with a legitimate EPC available or provided without charge.
Who is responsible for obtaining an EPC?
The owner or prospective landlord of the building is responsible for obtaining an EPC for any structures that will be advertised for sale or rental.
Within five days of the building’s completion, the builder of newly constructed buildings has a duty to deliver an EPC to the person who commissioned its construction.
An EPC must be obtained before a building is marketed for sale or rent.
The energy performance indicator from the EPC must be included in all commercial media/marketing materials created for a building for which an agent has been hired to sell or rent it. Owners and landlords are accountable for including the indicator on any marketing materials if they are renting out or selling a property on their own behalf. Commercial media consists of textual information, brochures, real estate websites, etc. Outside property signs would not be regarded as commercial media.
What happens if my home gets a low rating?
This only suggests that the structure may be more energy efficient. Several suggestions to increase its energy efficiency will be found throughout the examination (in the recommendation report which should accompany the EPC). By putting them into practise, you might improve your rating, lower your carbon footprint, and spend less on energy costs. However, you are not legally obligated to follow the advice; it is entirely up to you whether you do so.
What are the benefits to me as a seller or landlord?
Buildings with higher energy ratings should be more marketable than those with lower ratings because they are less expensive to operate. Information that could further lower the property’s operating costs should be included in the recommendation report.
