How to Get an EPC for a Rental and Keep the Certificate With the Tenancy File

The listing is supposed to go live Monday, and the only energy graph in the drawer is a 2014 print or a cropped JPEG. The get-and-keep file starts on the official register, not a second paid visit. Search by postcode, download a valid PDF if one exists, or book an accredited assessor, then file the lodged copy and give the tenant the same file.

Sunday night. Simon’s terraced let in Derby. The agent wants the energy letter on Rightmove. He has a faded 2014 paper graph and a WhatsApp photo of the A–G bar. A two-minute postcode search would have shown expired — or a still-valid 2022 certificate he was about to pay for again. He books Tuesday, screenshots the letter, and never sends a PDF.

Disclaimer: IziRento is operations software, not legal advice. Local tenancy rules vary; check a qualified adviser for binding decisions.

How do you search the register before you pay?

Open Find an energy certificate on GOV.UK. For England, Wales or Northern Ireland, search by postcode, street and town, or certificate number, then pick the exact flat or house. Download the PDF. Note the rating, report reference number, issue date and expiry. Scotland uses a different service — do not invent that path here.

The official store is the register, not the drawer. Find an energy certificate is free. A certificate is valid only after it is lodged and given a report reference number (RRN) — a 20-digit ID. Only the most recent EPC for that building is valid. A Zoopla JPEG is not that file.

Do search before you book. Do not pay for a second visit if a valid certificate is already there. GOV.UK: an EPC is valid for 10 years and can be reused across many lets. For example, Simon’s 2022 lodge would have covered Monday’s advert. Typical mistake: the wrong flat in a block is a wasted-visit risk.

Which assessor do you book if nothing is in date?

If the register is empty or the certificate has expired, you need an assessment. Find an accredited domestic energy assessor — a trained inspector on a government-approved scheme — via Get a new energy certificate. Contact them directly. Keep the quote and booking confirmation: date, address, assessor name.

Commission the visit before the let is marketed. Get a new energy certificate is the official finder for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Check they are on an accredited scheme. Cost varies by assessor and size — GOV.UK does not set a tariff. After the visit they supply a digital copy.

An agent must be satisfied the EPC has been commissioned before they market. Obtain it within 7 days; a further 21 days is allowed if those efforts fail. Put the letter on the advert. Do not go live on a JPEG.

How do you prepare access so the visit finishes in one slot?

The assessor needs all rooms, the boiler, and the loft if there is safe access. Without supporting evidence they assume from the building’s age. Leave a folder: build year, extensions, glazing certificates, insulation invoices, boiler make and install date, thermostat and meter locations.

The GOV.UK dwellings guide is blunt: no insulation receipt, they cannot include that feature. No loft access, they assume from age. There is no statutory duty to carry out the recommended measures. This article stops at a complete visit, not an upgrade programme.

If occupied, agree a slot and give at least 24 hours’ written notice. If the house is empty, loft and boiler access is simpler — the same empty-home habit as void-period supplier notify. In practice a boarded hatch is why Tuesday becomes a second booking.

What to store after the certificate lodges?

After the visit, the assessor gives a digital copy, or the report reference number so you can print from the register. Check the address appeared on the register — often within about 24 hours. Save the lodged PDF, the RRN, issue and expiry dates, and the recommendation report in one property folder.

The register is the only official place for storing EPC data. A PDF that never appeared there is not a certificate. Chase if the address is still missing. Do file the lodged PDF, booking and invoice. Do not leave the only copy as a chat screenshot.

Trading Standards can ask for a copy within 7 days. Fixed £200 Energy Performance of Buildings penalties cover not giving a valid EPC free, not commissioning before marketing, missing the 7-then-21-day window, and ads without the letter.

What to give without sending them to GOV.UK?

Give a complete copy, including the recommendation report, free of charge. Make it available at the earliest opportunity, and no later than written particulars or the viewing. Give it again to the person who becomes the tenant. Email is fine if they consented to electronic documents.

The TPOS letting advice is plain: a complete paper copy, fax, or complete electronic version. It is not acceptable to point the tenant at the online register and tell them to find it themselves. NRLA (updated 22 Jun 2026): send a copy at every new tenancy, including the recommendation report, before they sign.

Do keep sent proof in the same folder. Do not reply “it’s on GOV.UK”. Shelter: an officer can demand the file within 7 days. The copy can sit in the same wallet as a tenant welcome pack; this is the certificate file, not the contacts sheet. Gas and electrical reports are different send clocks.

When to book a new visit after the certificate expires?

A lodged EPC is valid for 10 years and can be reused across many lets in that period. If it expires while the same tenancy continues, you do not need a new one until that tenancy ends, or you market or grant a new letting. Diary the expiry against the next marketing date.

NRLA: expiry mid-tenancy does not force a new EPC this week. You may reassess if you want works on record. The private-rented minimum in England and Wales is a separate file. This guide stops at get, store and give.

Success bar: verify this checklist — register searched; visit only if nothing is in date; lodge confirmed; PDF + RRN + expiry stored; copy given with sent proof. Then stop with confidence.

Search register → book assessor if needed → prepare access → confirm lodge → store PDF + RRN + expiry + recs → give copy + proof → diary next marketing

A workspace that keeps the lease and the EPC PDF on one record can replace a drawer of paper graphs.