Home / Glossary / Energy performance certificate register

What is Energy performance certificate register?

Last verified 31 October 2026

The energy performance certificate register is the official store of EPC data, and the GOV.UK service lets anyone search it for a property's certificate. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Scotland has a different service.

Why it matters to landlords

Only an approved energy assessor can lodge data on the domestic register. Once lodged it cannot be changed, and data stays for 20 years. An EPC lasts 10 years and can be reused for sales or lets in that time, but only the latest certificate for a building is valid. A paper copy is genuine only if it matches register data with a unique reference number.

You can search by certificate number, full postcode, or street name and town. Some owners opt out of public disclosure, which hides the report from searches. GOV.UK guidance says a landlord must give a valid EPC, at no cost, to whoever becomes the tenant, at the earliest opportunity and no later than when a prospective tenant first asks for information or views the property. Check the register before you market a property.

Example

Imran searches by postcode before advertising a flat and finds a certificate issued on 4 March 2019, valid to 3 March 2029. He downloads it, attaches it to the listing and saves a copy with his compliance records.

Landlord compliance checker →

Related terms

Sources

Keep your certificates and renewal dates in one place

VoxaMTD's paid landlord plans, from £8.99 a month, keep your gas, electrical, EPC, deposit and Right to Rent records on their own renewal cycles, with reminders. Every new account gets a 7-day free trial of the paid features when you sign up, with no card needed.

Try it now →

More compliance and safety terms: Compliance and safety glossary