Energy Performance Certificate
There are many things to be aware of when buying a property in Spain.
Today we will explain an important document that is often overlooked, namely the energy certificate.
The Energy Certificate is called “Certificado energético” in Spanish, or “Certificado de eficiencia energético”. In simple terms, it is a document issued by the government to certify the energy consumption rating of a property. This is a law introduced by the European Union to reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution. The law states that both houses and shops need to have an energy rating from the local authorities to see if the property is environmentally friendly or not.
What happens when you buy a property and the seller doesn’t have an energy certificate?
The law requires sellers to provide buyers with an energy certificate when selling a property. This allows the buyer to know what level of energy consumption the property meets. If the seller does not provide the energy certificate, then there is a risk of a fine. Conversely, there are no penalties for the purchaser.
This means that if the purchaser does not care about the environmental friendliness of the house or the energy consumption of the house, then they can buy it even without an energy certificate. The absence of an energy certificate does not affect the ownership of the house, nor does it affect the right to use the house.
Note: If the purchaser later wishes to sell the house, then the new buyer will need to be provided with an energy certificate. The same applies to renting the house to others.
If the seller did not give you an energy certificate when you bought the house, and you want to sell or rent it out, you will have to pay for it yourself.
However, in reality, very few tenants or buyers care about the energy consumption of their homes and many do not care even if they do not have an energy certificate. So even if you don’t have a certificate, it doesn’t matter much, since the other party doesn’t care, the chances of being penalised are relatively low.
How do I get an energy certificate?
The energy certificate needs to be obtained from the local authorities. The situation is much the same in every region. You can read the official regional information at:
Official website of the Regional Government of Madrid
Official website of the Regional Government of Barcelona
What does an energy card look like?
Find attached a standard energy efficiency certificate:
