Regardless of whether you own a house or apartment for rent/sale in Belfast, Northern Ireland, adhering to an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) requirement is inevitable before putting the property in the market. We are introducing the list we’ve compiled based on the most popular questions homeowners ask about EPCs in Belfast.

1. How much money is needed for the EPC?

The overall cost will be determined by factors such as type of property, size, and location – also the total cost can be subject to current market conditions. You can roughly expect the average house type EPC cost to be between 70 and 100. Visit http://www.epc4less.com/ to get an idea of prices for EPCs in Belfast.

2. How long does it take to make an energy assessment?

The approximate time required for a thorough energy assessment for an average 3-room house is one hour. The full duration of an appraisal will depend on the size and nature of the property. It may be more for domestic properties that have large and numerous extensions, or for commercial buildings and industrial properties.

3. Is the visit of the assessors mandatory?

Yes, energy assessments are done by a property visit by the appraisers. This visit includes all the rooms of your property as well as the loft and boiler room.

4. What does it mean if my home has a low rating?

For a situation where you are selling a property, a low rating has no special meaning. You can sell the house with a low rating. A low rating ultimately means that the new owner may want to take some additional measures to increase the energy efficiency. 

If you want to rent a property as an HMO (House of Multiple Occupation), such as student accommodation, then a low rating means that you will be required to make improvements to have your rating above 39. HMO properties in Belfast, Northern Ireland, require a minimum rating of 39 in the EPC assessment. All recommendations for improving the rating will be provided by the energy assessor.

5. Do I need a new EPC every time I sell/rent a property?

The answer is no. The certificate is valid for ten years and you can reuse it every time you want to rent the property.

After ten years, when the certificate expires, a new EPC survey must be completed.

6. In what cases is the EPC unnecessary?

If you are not selling or renting the property, or if a potential buyer will demolish the property after the purchase, an EPC is not required.

Also, the EPC will not be required to rent hotel rooms and temporary residence buildings.

Other cases not requiring EPC:

• workshop buildings
• churches or religious halls
• buildings with low energy needs
• temporary buildings

In Belfast, Northern Ireland compliance with EPC requirements is necessary if you want to rent or sell residential/commercial building.

Read more here: https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/buildingcontrol-environment/buildingcontrol/energyperformancecert.aspx