Domestic EPC
Domestic EPC assessments for homes, flats and HMOs
Selling or letting a home? A 30 to 60 minute visit from an accredited assessor, and your certificate lodged within 48 hours.
- 48-hour turnaround
- Elmhurst-accredited
- Fixed price quote
Get a fixed price quote
Three quick steps — about 40 seconds.
Fixed price by 9:30am on Monday
- Elmhurst-accredited assessors
- Lodged within 48-hours of the survey
- Fixed price agreed up front
- Midlands to London
Don’t let the certificate hold up your sale or tenancy
You cannot advertise a home for sale or rent without a valid EPC in place, so the certificate sits on the critical path before the photos are even taken.
Most people only discover theirs has expired when the agent asks for it. That is a two to three day problem at most: we book quickly, the visit takes 30 to 60 minutes, and the certificate is lodged on the government register within 48 hours of the survey.
What is a domestic EPC?
A domestic EPC is the official energy efficiency rating for a home, scored A to G and valid for ten years. It estimates how much energy the property needs for heating, hot water and lighting, gives an indication of running costs, and lists recommended improvements with their likely effect on the score.
It is an asset rating based on the building itself, not on how you live in it. Two identical houses get the same rating whether one household runs the heating constantly and the other never turns it on.
When do you need one?
You need a valid domestic EPC before a home is marketed for sale or let, and before a new home is sold or occupied. In practice that means:
- Selling. The EPC must be available from the point the property goes on the market.
- Letting. Landlords must provide a valid EPC to tenants, and it is the evidence that the property meets minimum energy efficiency standards.
- New builds. A predicted rating is produced at design stage; an as-built EPC is required before sale or occupation.
- After major improvements. Not legally required, but worth doing. New insulation, glazing or a heat pump will not show on the certificate until the property is reassessed.
- When yours expires. Ten years passes quickly. If you are selling or letting and the certificate has lapsed, you need a new assessment.
The visit: what happens and what to have ready
The assessment takes 30 to 60 minutes for a typical home and is entirely non-invasive. Nothing is lifted, drilled or dismantled. The assessor needs access to every room, including the loft hatch, the boiler and any outbuildings in the heated envelope.
They will record construction type and wall thickness, loft and wall insulation, glazing type and age, the heating system and its controls, hot water and cylinder insulation, lighting, and any renewables such as solar panels.
Here is the part that actually changes your rating. Where there is no evidence, the software has to assume the worst credible case, and that assumption usually costs you points. Have these to hand if you can:
- Boiler or heat pump documentation — the installation certificate, benchmark book or manufacturer’s details, so the assessor can record the actual efficiency rather than a default for its age.
- Insulation details — cavity wall or loft insulation guarantees, CIGA certificates, or anything showing when and to what depth it was installed.
- Window ages and specification — replacement window FENSA or CERTASS certificates, which evidence the glazing type and date.
- Extension and conversion dates — building control completion certificates for extensions, loft conversions and garage conversions, which set the construction standards that applied.
- Renewables paperwork — MCS certificates for solar PV, solar thermal or a heat pump.
No paperwork does not mean no EPC. It just means a lower score than the property may deserve, so it is worth ten minutes in the filing cabinet.
- 1
Tell us about the property
Call or send the quote form. We confirm the type, size and access, then give you a fixed price and the earliest survey date.
- 2
We book it in
One point of contact arranges access directly with the owner, tenant or keyholder. No chasing from your end.
- 3
An accredited assessor surveys
We measure the building and gather the evidence needed for an accurate rating, rather than relying on worst-case defaults.
- 4
Lodged and explained
Your certificate goes on the national register and lands in your inbox, typically within 48-hours of the visit, with plain-English advice on the rating.
Homes we assess
- Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses
- Flats, maisonettes and apartments, including purpose-built blocks and conversions
- Bungalows
- New-build homes, including as-built assessments across a development
- HMOs. A house in multiple occupation let as a single dwelling needs one EPC for the whole property. Where rooms are let on separate tenancies with their own facilities, each self-contained unit may need its own certificate. Tell us how the property is let and we will confirm which applies.
- Buy-to-let properties, from a single flat to a full portfolio
Non-standard construction, a part-converted barn or an unusual layout? Those are fine, they just take a little longer and benefit from a conversation before booking.
Landlords: the rating that decides whether you can let
The minimum EPC rating for a rented home is currently E. Letting a property rated F or G is unlawful unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register.
That standard is rising. Following the government response in January 2026 and the Warm Homes Plan, privately rented homes in England and Wales will need to reach EPC C by 1 October 2030. Properties at D and E today are the ones to plan for now, because the cost and availability of contractors will not improve as the deadline approaches.
Getting ahead of 2030 means choosing your moment between tenancies, rather than reacting to a void you cannot legally fill.
If your rating is low we will tell you which measures move the score furthest for the money, which order to do them in, and whether an exemption genuinely applies. See MEES compliance and improving your EPC rating.
Estate and letting agents
If you instruct EPCs regularly, you should not be booking them one at a time. We run volume instructions with a single point of contact, priority appointments, a free measured floor plan with every assessment, one monthly invoice and a tracker showing the status of every job.
What’s included
- An A–G rating lodged on the government EPC register
- Estimated energy costs and potential savings
- Recommended improvements tailored to the property
- A free measured floor plan
- A plain-English explanation of the rating and how to lift it
Frequently asked questions
How long does a domestic EPC take?
The visit takes 30 to 60 minutes for a typical home, a little longer for larger or unusually laid out properties. Your certificate is lodged within 48 hours of the survey, and most jobs run two to three working days end to end including booking.
How long is a domestic EPC valid?
Ten years from lodgement. If it has expired and you are selling or letting, you need a new assessment. If it is still valid but you have since insulated, reglazed or replaced the heating, a fresh EPC is worth having because the old rating understates the property.
How much does a domestic EPC cost?
We quote each property individually based on size, type, location and travel, and the quoted price is what you pay. Landlords and agents with several properties get portfolio pricing. See what drives an EPC price.
Do I need to be there for the assessment?
Someone needs to provide access to every room, the loft hatch and the boiler. It does not have to be you, so a tenant, agent or keyholder is fine, as long as whoever is there can let the assessor in everywhere. Leave any paperwork about the heating, insulation and windows out ready.
Does my property already have an EPC?
Possibly. Search the government EPC register by postcode. If a valid certificate exists and the property has not changed, you may not need a new one. Check the rating though, because an old certificate at F or G will stop a letting.
What is the minimum EPC rating to rent out a house?
E today. Letting a home rated F or G is unlawful unless a valid exemption is registered. From 1 October 2030 privately rented homes in England and Wales will need to reach C, so plan improvements around tenancy changes between now and then.
Are listed buildings exempt from needing an EPC?
Not automatically, and the position has changed. The blanket heritage exemption has been removed under the 2026 EPC reforms, so listed and conservation-area properties generally need a certificate when sold or let. Separate MEES exemptions may still apply where consent for improvement works would be refused. If your property is listed, ask us and we will talk it through.
Where we work
Bedfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
East and West Midlands
Greater London
Northamptonshire
Staffordshire
West Midlands
Ready when you are
Call, email or send the quote form. One point of contact from enquiry to certificate.
info@r2g.co.uk · Mon–Fri 8:30am–5:30pm