are less than 10 years old only the most recent certificate will be valid.
Complaints
Complaints about the availability or quality of an EPC or about an energy assessor
who produced the certificate or the energy assessment should be directed to the
following:
Failure to provide a valid EPC on sale or rent: for complaints regarding the
availability and validity of an EPC for marketed sales, an authorised officer of the local
weights and measures authority (usually a trading standards officer). The authorised
officers have the power to act on your complaint.
EPCs on sale or rental: for complaints regarding the availability and validity of an
EPC for a building when marketed for sale or rent, an authorised officer of the local
weights and measures authority (usually a local trading standards officer). Trading
standards officers have the power to act on a complaint.
EPCs for newly constructed or modified properties: for complaints regarding the
availability and validity of EPCs produced by the builder when construction work is
completed, contact building control at the relevant local authority
Quality or accuracy of the EPC and its recommendations: for complaints regarding
the quality and accuracy of the EPC and the recommendation report, contact the
energy assessor in the first instance and if the matter is not resolved, contact the
accreditation scheme of the energy assessor who produced the EPC. Contact details
of both the assessor and accreditation scheme can be found on the EPC
Complaints regarding an energy assessor or any aspects of the energy
assessment: for complaints regarding the energy assessor or the energy assessment
contact the energy assessor in the first instance and if the matter is not resolved,
contact the accreditation body of the energy assessor who produced the EPC. Contact
details of both the assessor and accreditation scheme can be found on the EPC.
The accreditation scheme must investigate the complaint and, where necessary,
provide the appropriate redress. Where it is found that the information on the EPC is
incorrect a new inspection report must be issued and the information on the central
register amended. This procedure should be followed at no cost to the
complainant. In the event that the complaint cannot be satisfactorily resolved, the
accreditation scheme will refer the matter to an independent 3rd party for adjudication.
The energy assessor has a duty of care under the regulations, both to the seller or
prospective landlord and to the prospective buyer or tenant, to carry out an energy
assessment on a building with reasonable care and skill. This duty is enforceable for as
long as the EPC subsequently produced remains valid.
If an energy assessor is proven to have been in breach of his duty under the
regulations or negligent in any other way, this is a matter that can be taken up in the
first instance with their accreditation scheme before recourse to an action in civil law.
Energy assessors will have professional indemnity cover against the eventuality that
any person to whom they have a duty may suffer loss as a result of their actions.