How do I find the EPC of a home?

You ask the seller for the energy performance certificate (energieprestatiecertificaat, EPC): anyone selling a home must have a valid EPC from the first advertisement and must show it if you ask. The advertisement already shows the energy score or the label, with the address or the unique code of the EPC. You cannot look it up online yourself: the public search tool disappeared in late 2023. You receive the EPC with the deed.

When an EPC is required

Anyone who sells, gives away or exchanges a home by notarial deed must have an EPC. It must be available at the latest with the first advertisement; without an advertisement, before the preliminary sale agreement (compromis), or before the deed if there is no compromis. Even if you plan to demolish or renovate after the purchase, the seller must have an EPC.

An EPC is valid for ten years from when it is drawn up. For a sale, since 1 January 2022 only an EPC drawn up from 1 January 2019 counts. A new EPC model has not yet been introduced in Flanders (as of October 2026).

A purchase involves other points too, such as the asbestos certificate and requesting a building file. What a report on an address costs is listed under Perceelscan pricing. You can work out the taxes on a purchase for free with the registration duties calculator and the property tax calculator.

What the advertisement must show

Every advertisement for the sale of a home states:

the energy score, in kWh per m² per year, or the label, from A+ to F;
the full address, with house and box number, or the unique code of the EPC;
for label E or F: that a renovation obligation (renovatieverplichting) applies, which must also appear in the compromis and the deed.

A small ‘for sale’ sign in a window with no further information is exempt. The Flemish Energy and Climate Agency (VEKA) carries out spot checks. If the EPC is missing or the advertisement is misleading, you can report it using the VEKA complaint form.

Why you cannot find an EPC online

In October 2023, VEKA launched a public search tool, but it was shut down after a few weeks, and the rule that allowed public access was repealed. So a third party cannot look up an EPC, and only the owner, the holder of a right in the property such as usufruct, or someone authorised by them can have one drawn up.

The owner sees their EPC, unsigned, in the Woningpas, the digital file for their home. They can share it with a prospective buyer through a one-time code or link valid for a week, or through a public link for a period they choose. Such an unsigned EPC from the Woningpas is not enough for the sale itself.

At the deed, the notary records the date and the unique code of the EPC, and reports it to VEKA at once if there is no valid EPC.

What does this mean if you are buying a house?

Anyone who acquires a house or flat with a deed signed on or after 1 January 2023, by buying it but also, among other things, by gift or exchange, must reach at least label D within six years of the deed, shown by a new EPC. This is the renovation obligation. The period has been six years since 1 January 2026, also for obligations already running; before that it was five years. A deed of 1 February 2024 therefore has 1 February 2030 as its deadline.

If the home already had a valid EPC with label D or better at the deed, no new EPC is needed; if you later replace an installation listed on the EPC, the new one must perform at least as well. Exceptions include demolition within the six years, a protected monument, a protected townscape or village and a building in the established inventory of architectural heritage. If you do not meet the requirement, you risk a fine of €500 to €5,000 per housing unit, up to €10,000 for a repeat offence, and the obligation remains.

For a deed in 2026 or 2027, the requirement is label D within six years. The Flemish Government has announced that label D will remain the end point for later deeds too: check the current position on vlaanderen.be just before you buy. So ask for the EPC before you make an offer: with label E or F, you must renovate to at least label D within six years.

What the Perceelscan shows

For each address, the Perceelscan shows, from public registers:

the plan that applies, with the zone and its provisions, and the planning regulations;
plans in preparation and expropriation plans;
heritage, flooding, nature and any right of pre-emption (a public body that may buy first when a property is sold);
Seveso sites (with dangerous substances) and OVAM’s soil investigations;
vacancy and housing quality;
the environmental permits on the plot and at the neighbours, and historical maps;
how many m² of floor area can be built under the rules.

It does not show the EPC: no one can look up the EPC of another home online. The cadastral income (kadastraal inkomen) and the owner’s name are not in the report either. Ask the seller for the EPC; the notary records it in the deed.

The report does show whether the building is a protected monument, lies in a protected townscape or village, or is in the established inventory of architectural heritage: in that case, the renovation obligation does not apply.

In the other regions

In Brussels: When do you need an EPB certificate in Brussels?
In Wallonia: When is a PEB certificate required in Wallonia?

Sources

Check it for your address

Updated on 24 October 2026