Short answer: yes. An Energy Performance Certificate is a legal requirement before you can put a home on the market in Scotland. Here's what that actually means in practice.
Under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008, a valid EPC must be available before a residential property is advertised for sale, shown to viewers, or sold.
That means before the "For Sale" board goes up, before the photos appear on a property portal, and before any prospective buyer crosses the threshold, the EPC needs to exist and be available to be shown.
You need a current EPC if any of the following apply:
EPCs are valid for 10 years from the date they're lodged on the Scottish EPC Register. If you have a valid one from any point in the last decade, you can usually reuse it, even if you've moved out and someone else has lived there in the meantime.
That said, if you've made significant improvements to the property since the existing EPC was issued (a new boiler, better insulation, replacement windows), it may be worth commissioning a fresh one. A higher rating is a genuine selling point in marketing materials.
The seller is responsible. That's the homeowner, or whoever has the legal authority to sell the property.
In practice, estate agents and solicitors usually flag the EPC requirement early in the marketing process. Some estate agents offer to arrange the EPC on the seller's behalf, often at a marked-up price that includes a booking fee. You're not obliged to use whoever they recommend. You can hire any accredited Domestic Energy Assessor directly, which is usually cheaper and more flexible on timing.
Prices vary depending on property size, type, and location. For most domestic properties in Scotland, a fixed-price quote should be straightforward to get. Smaller flats and standard-size homes are at the lower end, while larger properties, period homes, and rural locations may cost more due to time on site.
Be wary of bargain-basement prices advertised by national EPC brokers. The work is often subcontracted to whoever's available, and the resulting certificate may be less accurate, particularly for older or non-standard properties. A local, direct assessor is usually a better bet.
Selling a property without a valid EPC is a breach of the regulations. Local authorities have powers to issue penalty charges, currently set at £500 per failure to comply. While enforcement is patchy in practice, the risk grows once a sale is in progress: solicitors won't complete a transaction without the EPC details, and any delay can put the sale at risk.
More commonly, the practical consequence is delay. Estate agents won't put marketing materials live without the EPC. Once you've decided to sell, getting the EPC sorted is one of the quickest, cheapest things on the list. Best done early.
A few categories of property have different rules:
If you're not sure whether your property needs an EPC, get in touch and we can advise.
From booking to lodged certificate, most domestic EPCs are turned around within a week. The assessment visit itself takes 30 to 60 minutes, and we usually have the certificate lodged on the Scottish EPC Register within 48 hours of the visit.
If you're under time pressure, let us know when booking. Same-day and next-day appointments are often possible.
We cover Fife, Edinburgh, the Lothians, and most of central Scotland. Get a fixed-price quote the same day.
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