What happens if an EPC expires during a tenancy?

Nothing straight away. An EPC is valid for 10 years, and if it expires mid-tenancy, the government's 2020 guidance says you need a new one only when you next sell, let to a new tenant or modify the property.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rates a home's energy efficiency from A to G. Landlords need one when they rent out a property, and must order it before marketing. This page covers England. The rules below follow GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk as checked on 17 October 2026.

When an EPC is needed

The legal duty bites when a property is to be sold or rented out. The Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012 say you must give a prospective tenant a valid EPC free of charge at the earliest opportunity, and no later than when you first send them written details or when they view. The person who becomes the tenant must have been given one.

The government's 2020 guidance on the minimum standard puts it plainly: once an EPC reaches the ten-year point and expires, there is no automatic requirement for a new one. A further EPC is only needed at the next trigger point. A new EPC is also not needed for each change of tenant while the current one is less than 10 years old.

How expiry affects the E rating rule

Since 1 April 2020 you cannot let, or keep letting, a home covered by the regulations, for example on an assured tenancy, if it is rated F or G, unless you have registered an exemption. Spending is currently capped at £3,500 including VAT before an exemption can apply. The rule works off a valid EPC. Regulation 22 of the 2015 regulations says an EPC is valid if it was put on the register no more than 10 years before the date it is relied on, and no newer EPC has been lodged since.

The 2020 guidance gives an example: an F-rated home on a long tenancy whose EPC expired in 2019. Because the tenancy was ongoing and there was no legal requirement for a new EPC, the home was not caught by the minimum standard on 1 April 2020. The landlord would need a new EPC, and to meet the standard, if they remarketed the home for let or it was modified in a way that needed one.

Two cautions. First, if anyone commissions a new EPC while the property is legally required to have one, the newer certificate becomes the current one. Second, the method behind EPCs is updated from time to time, so a new certificate can show a different band even with no work done.

What this means for you

Say your EPC, rated D, was lodged in March 2017 and expires in March 2027 while your tenant stays on. You do not have to replace it when it expires. But if the tenant gives notice in June 2027, you need a new EPC before you advertise the property, and it must show E or above, or you must register an exemption, before the new tenancy starts.

The government plans to raise the standard to the equivalent of EPC C by 1 October 2030 for all private tenancies, with a cost cap of £10,000 per property. That needs new legislation first. Under the plan, an EPC rated C or above on the current Energy Efficiency Rating and issued before 1 October 2029 would count until it expires or is replaced, so the date on your certificate matters.

Failing to make a valid EPC available to a prospective tenant, or to give one to the person who becomes the tenant, can bring a £200 penalty charge for a dwelling. Letting below E without an exemption is a separate breach, with fines of up to £5,000 per property. England's new landlord register launches on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and reaching other areas over 12 months. Under the draft regulations it will also need information about energy performance for each let property.

Steps when your EPC is close to expiry

1. Look up each property on the find an energy certificate service and note the expiry date.
2. If a tenancy is ongoing, diary the date, but there is no need to replace the EPC on that day.
3. Before you next market the property or let it to a new tenant, order a new EPC from an accredited assessor.
4. If the new EPC is F or G, improve the home to E or register an exemption before the new tenancy.
5. After energy improvements, consider a fresh EPC to show the new rating.
6. Keep the certificate with your other safety records and add its expiry date to your calendar.

Rent from your lets may also bring you into Making Tax Digital; the free MTD check shows when. The landlords section has more guides, including what EPC rating a rental needs.