What Happens After an EPC Assessment? A London Property Owner’s Next Steps

Once your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) assessment is complete, you may be wondering what happens next.

Whether you are preparing to sell, rent out or simply understand the energy performance of your London property, the EPC gives you useful information about the property’s energy efficiency and potential improvements.

The certificate provides an energy efficiency rating from A to G and includes recommendations that may help improve the property’s energy performance. An EPC is generally valid for 10 years unless a newer certificate is produced. GOV.UK

But receiving the certificate is not necessarily the end of the process.

Here is what you should do next.

1. Check Your EPC Rating

The first thing to check is your property’s EPC rating.

The rating ranges from:

A – very energy efficient
B – highly energy efficient
C – relatively efficient
D – average
E – lower efficiency
F – poor efficiency
G – very poor efficiency

The rating provides an indication of the property’s energy performance under the assessment methodology.

If you want a more detailed explanation, read our guide to EPC ratings and what A to G means.

2. Read the Recommendations

Your EPC does more than provide a rating.

It also contains recommendations for improving the property’s energy efficiency.

Depending on the property, recommendations may include improvements involving:

Loft insulation
Wall insulation
Heating systems
Heating controls
Windows
Lighting
Renewable technologies
Hot water systems

You do not necessarily have to complete every recommendation simply because it appears on the certificate.

Instead, consider which improvements are appropriate for your property, your budget and your plans.

Our guide on how to improve your EPC rating explains some of the improvements property owners can consider.

3. Check When Your EPC Expires

An EPC is generally valid for 10 years.

However, if a newer EPC is produced for the same property, the newer certificate becomes the relevant certificate.

This means it is useful to record the certificate date and expiry date after your assessment.

If you are planning to sell or rent the property in the future, checking the EPC early can help you avoid delays.

You can also check whether a property already has a certificate through the official GOV.UK Find an Energy Certificate service.

If your previous certificate has expired, read our guide on what to do when an EPC expires in London.

4. Decide Whether You Need to Improve the Property

A lower EPC rating may encourage you to consider energy-efficiency improvements.

However, the right approach depends on why you are improving the property.

For example, a homeowner preparing to sell may want to understand how the EPC could affect the property’s presentation to potential buyers.

A landlord may need to consider the requirements that apply to a privately rented property.

For properties covered by the domestic private rented property Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, GOV.UK currently states that properties generally need an EPC rating of E or above unless a valid exemption applies.

If you are a landlord, our EPC checklist for landlords can help you organise the next steps.

5. Review the EPC Before Selling Your Property

If you are preparing to sell your London property, your EPC should be considered alongside the rest of your property marketing preparation.

GOV.UK states that an EPC is required when selling a property and must be ordered before the property is marketed, subject to applicable exemptions.

Once your EPC is ready, you can continue preparing other marketing materials such as:

Professional property photography
Floor plans
Property descriptions
Room measurements
Property features
Agent information
Viewing arrangements

Our EPC guide for selling a property in London explains the EPC side of the selling process.

You can also use our London property marketing checklist to prepare the wider marketing package.

6. Review the EPC Before Renting Out Your Property

Landlords should also review the EPC before marketing a property for rent.

If there is no valid EPC, a new assessment may be required before marketing.

The EPC can also help you identify areas where the property’s energy performance could potentially be improved.

For landlords, it is important to check the current government requirements rather than relying only on older advice because energy-efficiency regulations and guidance can change.

The current GOV.UK landlord guidance for domestic private rented properties provides information about the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, exemptions and compliance.

For a practical overview, see our EPC guide for renting a property in London.

7. Keep a Copy of Your EPC

Once your EPC has been completed, keep a copy with your property documents.

This can be particularly useful if you are:

Selling the property
Renting it out
Managing several properties
Planning future improvements
Comparing energy-efficiency changes
Preparing the property for future marketing

Having your EPC available also makes it easier to check the recommendations later.

8. Do Not Confuse the EPC Rating With Your Actual Energy Bills

An important point for property owners and buyers is that an EPC rating is not the same thing as your actual energy bills.

The EPC assessment uses standard assumptions about how a property is occupied and used.

Your actual energy consumption can therefore be different depending on factors such as:

How many people live in the property
How often heating is used
Thermostat settings
Hot water usage
Appliance usage
Lifestyle
Energy tariffs

The EPC is designed to provide information about the energy performance of the property rather than predict exactly what an individual household will spend.

9. Consider Improvements Before Your Next Property Milestone

If you are not selling or renting immediately, your EPC can still be useful.

You can use the recommendations as a starting point for future improvements.

For example, you might decide to investigate insulation before replacing a heating system or consider heating controls as part of a wider renovation.

It is worth looking at the recommendations as a plan rather than treating them as a list of compulsory upgrades.

10. Prepare the Rest of Your Property Marketing

An EPC is only one part of preparing a property for the market.

If you are selling or renting, you may also need professional photography and a floor plan.

Good photographs can help potential buyers or tenants understand the property’s condition and layout, while a floor plan gives them a clearer idea of how the rooms connect.

Before arranging photography, see our property photography checklist.

If you are preparing a rental listing, our rental property listing checklist for London can help you review the important marketing details.

What Should You Do If Your EPC Rating Is Low?

A low rating does not automatically mean that you need to carry out every recommendation immediately.

Start by reading the recommendation report and identifying which improvements are relevant to your property.

You can then consider:

Which improvements are practical?
What could they cost?
What other work is already planned?
Is the property being sold or rented?
Are there specific legal requirements that apply?
Are there exemptions or other circumstances that need to be considered?

For landlords, check the latest government guidance before making decisions about compliance. The current GOV.UK guidance includes information about properties rated F or G, required steps and exemptions.

How Long Is an EPC Valid?

An EPC is generally valid for 10 years.

You do not normally need to arrange a new EPC every time a property changes tenant or is sold if a valid certificate already exists.

However, if a newer EPC is produced, that newer certificate becomes the relevant one.

For the current rules, refer to GOV.UK’s Energy Performance Certificate guidance.

EPC After Assessment: Quick Checklist

Once your assessment is complete, use this checklist:

Check your EPC rating
Read the recommendation report
Check the certificate date
Record the expiry date
Keep a copy of the certificate
Consider relevant improvements
Check current requirements if you are a landlord
Prepare your marketing materials if selling or renting
Arrange photography if required
Arrange a floor plan if required
Keep your EPC available for future reference

Final Thoughts

An EPC assessment gives you more than an energy efficiency rating.

It provides useful information about your property’s current energy performance and highlights potential improvements.

If you are selling or renting your London property, the EPC should form part of your wider preparation process. Checking the certificate early gives you time to understand the rating, review the recommendations and organise the rest of your property marketing.

If you need an EPC for your London property, you can check EPC pricing or book an EPC assessment with EPC Rate London.