For use in a Home Information Pack
An EPC is to be used in a HIP must be no older than 12 months at the first point of marketing. This will change on 1st Oct,2008 to 36 months.
For Lettings
The EPC is valid for 10 years unless a newer EPC is produced, in which case only the latter is valid and superseded by the old one.
Properties not requiring a Home Information Pack
From 1st Oct, 2008, an EPC is required for the sale of all homes including those which do not require a HIP (e.g. which are exempt or were marketed before the HIP regulations came in). In this case an EPC is valid for 10 years.
The EPC therefore, can be suitable to prospective sellers who have not yet marketed their home with an Agent. By getting an EPC upfront, it allows the seller to check the rating first, thus ensuring that it would not be detrimental to the marketing details or be used by the buyer to negotiate on the price. The certificate can then be used for the HIP.
Once an EPC has been obtained, there is no legal requirement for a new EPC to be produced when works are carried out or if improvements/alterations are made to a property. A home owner can choose to get a new certificate, or they could show the first (and still valid) certificate to buyers and alongside the proof that works had been carried out.
I offer a significantly reduced fee service for those that do wish to 'renew' their certificate to reflect the changes made.