Note: This is a general guide for UK commercial property owners and professionals. Non-domestic EPC regulations, registers and processes differ across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Always check the current position on GOV.UK and the relevant national register before acting on any specific matter.
The triggering events
A valid EPC is required when a non-domestic building is sold, when it is let to a new tenant, when a lease is renewed or extended in a way that creates a new letting, and when a new building is completed. It is also needed where a building is modified to have more or fewer parts designed for separate occupation together with changes to the fixed services.
The certificate should be commissioned before marketing begins — the rating has to be included in written particulars and made available free of charge to prospective buyers or tenants.
When one is not needed
Places of worship, temporary buildings with a planned use of two years or less, stand-alone buildings under 50m² that are not dwellings, and industrial sites, workshops and agricultural buildings with low energy demand generally fall outside the requirement. Buildings due for demolition with planning and conservation consents in place may also be exempt.
Practical timing
Allow time between instruction and marketing. Survey access, drawing availability and lodgement all take working days, and a transaction held up for a missing certificate is a costly way to discover the requirement.
Next steps
If you'd like specific advice about a property or portfolio, request a quote and our in-house assessors will come back to you.