Legislation
As from 21st May, 2010, the Home Information Pack was suspended with the EPC becoming a stand-alone document.
In summary the current legal requirement for an EPC for a house sale is:-
Unless an existing valid EPC (see EPC validity) is available for the property, an EPC has to be commissioned (this means that a seller or a person acting on their behalf i.e.an estate agent must have instructed an accredited Energy Assessor to carry out an EPC) before marketing commences. It should be provided to potential buyers at the earliest opportunity and before entering into a contract to sell the property.
As soon as the EPC is obtained the energy rating or the EPC must be included with any written particulars.
The seller and estate agent must use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the EPC is available within 28 days of the property going on the market.
The penalty for not ensuring that an EPC is available or has been commissioned and failing to include the energy information in written particulars is £200. The enforcement of these requirements is the responsibility of Trading Standards Officers.