The short answer
Selling and letting need different paperwork. This guide covers England; Wales and Scotland have their own rules for rented homes.
| Certificate | Selling | Letting | How often | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) | Required | Required, rating E or better | Valid 10 years | Accredited energy assessor |
| Gas safety record (often called a CP12) | Not required - but buyers should ask | Required | Every 12 months | Gas Safe registered engineer |
| Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) | Not required | Required | At least every 5 years | Qualified electrician |
If you are moving and renting out your old home rather than selling it - an increasingly common route when a sale falls through - you need all three before your tenants move in.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
You must have an EPC when you sell, rent out or build a property. It rates the home from A (most efficient) to G (least) and is valid for 10 years. It has to be produced by an accredited assessor, and you can be fined if you do not get one when you need it.
Check before you pay. EPCs are lodged on a public register, and you can download any valid certificate for free using the government's find-an-energy-certificate service. If the home was sold or let in the last ten years, there may already be one.
The rules for rented homes
Since 1 April 2020, landlords cannot let, or continue to let, a home with an EPC rating below E unless they have registered an exemption. Under the current rules:
- Landlords do not have to spend more than £3,500 including VAT on improvements. If the home still cannot reach E after spending that, they can register an "all relevant improvements made" exemption, which lasts five years.
- The maximum fine is £5,000 per property.
- In January 2026 the government set 1 October 2030 as the intended date by which private rented homes must reach C, or have a valid exemption.
If you are letting a home that is currently rated D or E, it is worth knowing where the gaps are now, rather than in 2030.
Gas safety record
For landlords, gas safety is an annual legal duty:
- A Gas Safe registered engineer must check every gas appliance and flue you provide, within 12 months of installation and every 12 months after that.
- Existing tenants must receive a copy of the record within 28 days of the check. New tenants must receive one before they move in.
- You must keep each record until two further checks have been carried out - in practice, at least two years.
For sellers, there is no legal requirement. Gas Safe Register's advice runs the other way: buyers should ask the seller for the boiler's building regulations compliance certificate and any gas safety records. If the seller cannot produce them, or the last check was more than 12 months ago, the buyer should book a gas safety check before moving in. As a seller, having a recent record ready removes one question from the buyer's list.
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
For private landlords, the electrics must be inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every 5 years:
- Tenants must receive a copy of the report within 28 days of the inspection.
- If the report records a C1, C2 or FI code - danger present, potentially dangerous, or further investigation needed - the remedial or investigative work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so.
- Councils can impose a fine of up to £30,000.
Sellers are not required to have an EICR, but an older property with no electrical history often draws questions from the buyer's surveyor, and a recent report can answer them before they slow the sale.
What the certificates cost
Prices depend on the size of the property and where it is. One national provider, Energy Performance Certificates, advertises EPCs from £65 in selected areas and quotes gas safety records and EICRs online. Booking all three from one provider, on one visit where possible, is usually simpler than three separate appointments - but get the EPC first, because it is the only one you cannot market a home without.
If you are buying, not selling
None of these certificates is your legal responsibility as a buyer, but they tell you a lot about the house you are moving into:
- Read the EPC. Its recommendations section is a costed list of what would improve the rating - a useful guide to heating bills.
- Ask for the boiler's building regulations certificate and gas safety records. No paperwork and no recent check means booking a Gas Safe engineer before you move in. If the boiler looks due for replacement, see our guide to replacing a boiler in a home you have just bought.
- Put the move-in admin in order with our utilities and moving admin checklist.