Our guide explains how to sell a house with low or no Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), including the law on EPC’s, and what to do if you own a property that needs investment to get a high EPC rating.
With the recent hike in energy prices, keeping your home warm has never been more important at an affordable cost. Low-rated homes with an EPC rating or F, G or no rating could put off potential buyers, as these properties are unmortgageable. Landlords can’t rent a property with a low EPC, such as an E rating.
The legislation means that it has become illegal to put a house on the market without an EPC.
If you want to sell an unmodernised EPC-rated F or G house, you’ll want to read this guide before making a move and find out how we can help you.
Table of Contents
What is an EPC or energy performance certificate?
In short, an EPC is an asset rating that tells you how energy-efficient your property is and its impact on the environment.
To sell an unmodernised EPC-rated F or G house can be tough. A poor EPC rating suggests low energy efficiency, which makes the energy bills of that property a lot more expensive.
Prospective buyers are less likely to consider properties with a low EPC rating due to the cost, particularly since rising energy prices are an ever-growing issue.
How is an EPC rating measured?
The energy performance of your property is determined and measured on a scale of A-G, A being the most energy efficient a building can be. The average in the UK for an existing property is usually around a D rating although anything lower than this means your CO2 footprint starts to increase, along with the bills.
If you’ve inherited a property, or you need a quick house sale and have a low EPC rating – the chances of a fast traditional sale are slim, and you’re more likely to have the house on the market for years rather than weeks.
Read on to find out what you can do if you’re stuck in this situation and how Property Saviour can help you.
Do I need an EPC to sell my house?
An EPC is legally required every time a home is put up for sale or rent. Whether you have an estate agent or not, you must provide an Energy Performance Certificate for the property.
The certificate must be issued by an energy performance certificate assessor who is accredited to produce them for the category of building concerned and it must be available on the online EPC register.
Upon a sale, you will be asked to produce an Energy Performance Certificate, and indeed, you can be fined if you do not produce one. EPC certificate can cost from £70 or more, depending on location and type of property.
How long is an energy performance certificate valid for?
An EPC certificate is valid for 10 years.
After this time, you’ll need to organise an EPC assessor to visit your property, which costs from £60. There’s a national register of EPCs unless you’ve opted out, where you can look at your property’s previous certificates (as well as viewing similar properties in your area for a comparison of how energy efficient your home is).
Do all commercial buildings require an EPC?
If you own a commercial property, you also need to have an EPC if any of the following applies to you:
- You rent out or sell your premises.
- A building under construction is completed.
- Changes are made to the parts of the building for separate occupation, involving any changes or additions to heating, air and ventilation systems.
ready to sell?
Sell with certainty & speed
What happens if I have a low EPC rating?
Buyers and tenants won’t want to buy or rent your home because of its low EPC ratings.
If you’re trying to sell an unmodernised EPC-rated F or G house, then it’s not great news.
In this situation, you’ll find it difficult to sell your property, as why would anyone want to move into a home and pay high energy bills?
Homes with poor energy performance could even be banned from the sales market, with owners having to upgrade them before being allowed to sell them.
The call has come from the Committee on Climate Change and could affect at least 1.2m homes with EPC ratings of F and G.
As of 1st November 2023, any properties rented out in the private sector must have an EPC rating of at least ‘E’ – properties rated as ‘F’ and ‘G’ cannot lawfully be let out.
Is there a minimum EPC rating to sell a house?
Unlike renting a property, there is no minimum rating to sell a house.
When is an EPC not required?
You do not need an Energy Performance Certificate if:
- it is a temporary building;
- used as a place of worship;
- awaiting demolition.
Is it legal to sell a property without an EPC?
By law, an EPC is required before a property can be sold on.
Can I sell my property without an EPC?
Yes, if you have ordered the EPC before putting your property on the market. Failure to do so could result in a fine.
Can you sell a property with an EPC rating of G?
Yes, you can sell an EPC rating of G or worse to Property Saviour.
Many sellers we’ve worked with have come to us with low EPC ratings, and we’ve offered the same advice we’re about to give you now.
We understand that sometimes you need a speedy house sale and don’t have the time or the money to wait patiently for your house to sell through the local estate agents. With the new laws coming into practice – you won’t even be allowed to sell an unmodernised EPC-rated F or G house this way.
Because of this, we get a lot of questions from sellers about taking their low EPC-rated homes to auction.
What’s our opinion? We say absolutely not. Auctions, whilst they seem great on the surface, are time-consuming, very expensive, and can never guarantee a house sale – never mind a fast one.
You’re also likely to lose out on a lot of money, as the auctioneers will often suggest a low reserve price to entice more bidders. Do you really want that?
For more information on auction sales, our guide to selling at auction outlines the pros and cons of auctions.
At Property Saviour, we buy any property, including those with low – or no – EPC rating. If your property is rated between E-G, give us a call. We’ll offer you our expert advice, along with a fair price and a 10-day sale – which is the fastest you’ll find – and that’s a guarantee.
Sell with certainty & speed
Low EPC properties – the cost to upgrade
What are the alternative options? You could consider upgrading your property in order to achieve a higher EPC rating. However, if it’s currently below D, it is going to be expensive.
So, what will you need to do?
Insulation is the biggest factor that affects the EPC rating of a property. Double-glazed windows are a must-have, and as we all know, these don’t come cheap. Depending on the size of our property, having double glazing properly fitted can cost thousands of pounds, and if you try to cut corners and have them fitted cheaply, they are unlikely to do the job and improve your EPC.
Alongside insulation, having a newly fitted boiler is a huge factor contributing to your overall EPC rating. The cost of a new boiler can be up to £3,000 – which is all money that’s being drained from your pocket.
If you need a quick house sale, upgrading your property is going to be time-consuming as well as costly, which is why we advise you to speak to us to discuss all the options and let us guide you through our quick and easy house-buying process.
Why should you let us help?
Not only have we helped many sellers with low EPC-rated properties get a fair deal, but we’ve also provided the fastest house sale service – with a 10-day guaranteed sale.
Unlike many house-buying firms, we buy properties for ourselves; we do not act for investors, and that’s why there won’t be any contracts to sign.
Trying to sell an unmodernised EPC-rated F or G house on your own isn’t easy, and we genuinely want to help you. When we say we will buy your house, we really mean it! We are here to help. So take that first step. Get your free offer.
We know that selling your house can be a stressful time. We want to change that for you. We charge you no fees. We offer free valuation. We will pay £1,500 towards your legal fees. and offer free house clearance. On top of this, we’ll beat all genuine cash offers.
We have helped hundreds of sellers to move on. We believe we can help you, too. Get in touch with us today.
