An expired EPC from a current tenancy does not need renewing just to register on England's new landlord database. The planned list asks for a copy of the most recent EPC if you had to give the current tenant one and, if that certificate has since expired, the date the current tenancy started.
As of 29 October 2026 the "Register your rental property" service is not open, and its regulations are still a draft: committees in both Houses debated them on 28 October 2026, but neither House has approved them (Parliament). Fees, who must register and regional dates are in our PRS database overview; this post is about certificates.
Do I need a new EPC for the landlord database?
No, not while the tenant who received that EPC still lives there. The government's Housing Hub lists the EPC questions in the same terms as Schedule 3 of the draft regulations (paragraphs 13 and 14):
"Information as to whether the landlord was required to give a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to the person who is the tenant currently occupying the dwelling, and if so, a copy of the most recent EPC, if one exists"
"If the most recent EPC for the dwelling is no longer valid, the date the current tenancy started"
The planned list allows expired certificates: upload the most recent one where required, and give the tenancy start date if it has expired.
The law agrees. The duty to provide an EPC applies when a building is to be sold or rented out (Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, regulation 6). The government's detailed MEES guidance for landlords (section 1.1.4.2) says expiry alone does not trigger renewal: a sale, new letting or qualifying alterations do.
If the same tenancy began before EPCs became compulsory for rentals on 1 October 2008, the answer to the first question may be no.
When do you actually need a new EPC?
Commission one before marketing for sale or to a new tenant if there is no valid EPC. Certificates last 10 years; GOV.UK says you "must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent" (GOV.UK).
The minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) applies on top. It covers properties legally required to have an EPC: since 1 April 2020 you cannot let or continue to let one rated below E unless a valid exemption is registered (MEES landlord guidance). An expiry mid-tenancy takes the property outside MEES until a new EPC is needed: in the guidance's scenario three, an F-rated home whose EPC expired during an ongoing tenancy "will not be captured by the minimum energy efficiency provisions".
The database still asks the question, though. Paragraph 15 keys on the "most recent EPC", not a valid one, so an expired F or G certificate prompts the exemption question. How the service treats an expired below-E certificate with no exemption is not yet confirmed (checked 29 October 2026). The planned band C standard for 2030 is covered in new EPC rules for landlords.
Which documents do you upload to register your rental property?
You upload the applicable gas safety record, electrical report and most recent EPC, then enter their key dates and any licence numbers. The Housing Hub describes uploading certificates, and the draft asks for copies where they exist. A link or a typed date alone does not match that wording.
| Item | What the draft asks for | When you need a new one | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas safety record | If there is a gas supply: a copy, if one exists, and its issue date | Every 12 months; a check up to 2 months early keeps the old deadline | Gas Safety Regulations, regs 36 and 36A |
| EICR | A copy, if one exists, and the next inspection date | Up to 5 years, or sooner if the report says; guidance allows a valid, satisfactory report at a re-let | Electrical Safety Standards Regulations, reg 3; guidance |
| EIC (new build or full rewire) | A copy and its issue date | First EICR within 5 years of the EIC | As above |
| EPC | Whether one was due to the current tenant, the most recent copy if so, and the tenancy start date if expired | Commission before marketing to sell or let if there is no valid EPC | EPB Regulations, reg 6 |
| MEES exemption | If the most recent EPC is below E: whether an exemption is registered, and its type | Most exemptions last 5 years | MEES guidance |
| HMO, additional or selective licence | Whether one is needed, and the licence numbers if available | Set by the council, up to 5 years | Housing Act 2004, s.68 and s.91 |
One wording gap: the Housing Hub asks for the "EICR or EIC expiry date", the draft for the EIC's issue date, so have both to hand. A council licence and a database entry are separate; see selective licensing and the PRS database.
What is still unclear about certificates on the database?
Three questions have no answer in the official sources we checked. Each is not yet confirmed (checked 29 October 2026):
- Tenant names on uploaded certificates. If a gas record or EICR carries the tenant's name, neither the Housing Hub, the draft regulations nor the explanatory memorandum says whether to redact it. The memorandum says user guidance "will be published before commencement of the service". For data protection questions, the regulator is the ICO.
- Whether lenders will use the register. The memorandum lets a lender create or update entries where a property is "in scope of re-possession". It does not confirm remortgage checks, and what the public sees awaits a later instrument.
- Whether the EPC is pulled from the national register automatically. The Housing Hub and Schedule 3 ask for a copy; neither confirms an automatic fetch from find an energy certificate.
What does this look like for three properties?
This illustrative landlord has three lets in three regions. Gas and EIC dates below are planned for the day before each anniversary of the issue date, assuming the gas check and issue dates match. Use any earlier due date on the record.
| Coventry terrace | Leicester flat | Taunton cottage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region and window | West Midlands, 15 Dec 2026 to 14 Mar 2027 | East Midlands, 15 Feb to 14 May 2027 | South West, 15 Aug to 14 Nov 2027 |
| EPC | Band D, lodged 12 Mar 2016, expired March 2026 | Band C, lodged 4 Oct 2021, valid to October 2031 | Band F, lodged 5 May 2023, valid to May 2033 |
| Current tenancy began | 1 Sep 2019 | 1 Nov 2021 | 1 Jul 2024 |
| Gas safety record | Issued 20 Jan 2026 | No gas supply | Issued 8 Aug 2026 |
| Electrical | EICR, next inspection by 2 Jun 2027 | EIC issued 10 Apr 2024 after a rewire | EICR, next inspection by 30 Jun 2029 |
| MEES | Not asked (band D) | Not asked (band C) | "All improvements made" exemption, registered 1 Jun 2024 |
Coventry. Upload the expired 2016 EPC and give 1 September 2019 as the tenancy start date, when the certificate was about three and a half years old. No renewal just for registration. Plan the gas check for 19 January 2027. If the terrace is registered in December, update the entry once the old record goes out of date: draft regulation 9(4) allows 28 days, counting that day as day one.
Leicester. Upload the valid EPC (no start date needed) and the EIC with its issue date, and skip gas. Plan the first EICR for 9 April 2029.
Taunton. Upload the F-rated EPC and record the exemption and its type. Plan the gas check for 7 August 2027, eight days before the window opens, so the record uploaded is fresh. The exemption lapses after five years, in June 2029; diary a review for early 2029, and the EICR by 30 June 2029.
Six dates, three windows, and not one new EPC.
How do you prepare each property in 20 minutes?
Set aside 20 minutes per property to assemble one folder and diary the dates before your region opens.
- Make one folder named with the property address (2 minutes).
- Download the most recent EPC from find an energy certificate and note its band and lodgement date (4 minutes).
- Note which tenancy each EPC was given at. If the EPC has expired, the current tenancy's start date is what the database asks for (2 minutes).
- Save the latest gas safety record and EICR or EIC as PDFs named with the address, item and next-due date; note the EIC issue date too (4 minutes).
- If the EPC is below E and an exemption is registered, save the entry and note its type and end date (2 minutes).
- Note any licence number, or the council's written confirmation that none is needed (2 minutes).
- Diary gas and EICR renewals, and update the entry promptly when records change or expire (2 minutes).
- Check the region by the property's location, not where you live, and diary its window (2 minutes).
Padlord keeps each property's certificates and expiry dates in one place. A spreadsheet and a folder work too, and the free compliance deadline checker turns certificate dates into due dates. Duties beyond the database are in our 2026 compliance checklist.
Does this apply in Wales or Scotland?
No. The database is England only. Wales has Rent Smart Wales and Scotland has landlord registration, each with its own rules.
General information, not legal advice. The database regulations are still in draft, so check GOV.UK before relying on any date. Sources checked on 29 October 2026.
