Landlords: compare commercial EPC assessors in England and Wales

Compare commercial EPC providers by location and scope

Choose an assessor whose service area and technical scope match the property, then compare written total costs, exclusions and handover documents.

Landlords Checks publishes the clearest assessment-to-registration process for a London property, while HollenPlus requires more scope clarification.[2][3] Sweco publishes the broadest technical offer for complex buildings and multi-site estates.[4] PPH Commercial is the location-specific option for its named Yorkshire and Lincolnshire service areas.[5]

This is a scope-and-fit comparison, not a quality ranking. None of the supplied vendor sources provides independently verified performance results, so they do not support naming a universally best, cheapest or fastest provider.[2][3][4][5]

Compare the complete quote, not the headline fee

No like-for-like total price can be established from the published information. GOV.UK says cost depends on the building assessed but gives no fixed fee or formula.[1] HollenPlus offers tailored quotations without publishing an amount, breakdown or minimum charge.[3] No verified price is available for Sweco or PPH Commercial, while Landlords Checks says size, type and complexity affect price without confirming the total payable.[2][4][5]

Also obtain written terms for cancellation, rescheduling, refunds, failed access, service commitments and responsibility for inaccurate client records. None is verified for the compared providers.[2][3][4][5]

Give each bidder the same property details and requested outputs, then ask for one total price, all potential extras and the contractual conditions. Include the property’s location, use, size, systems, access constraints and number of sites. GOV.UK says the appropriate commercial energy assessor depends on the building’s complexity and features.[1]

Check the official requirement before relying on supplier claims

Use GOV.UK to establish the regulatory position; supplier pages show what their businesses offer but contain conflicting claims.[1][2][3][4][5]

• Certificate record: compare the issued certificate, property details and recommendation report with the official register record. Ask the accredited assessor to explain the building’s recorded rating and the assumptions behind it; a supplier’s general marketing description is not a substitute for the actual assessment.[6]
• Exemptions: Sweco says the requirement applies to all non-domestic properties regardless of size or purpose, but GOV.UK lists exemptions.[1][4] These include certain detached buildings below 50 square metres, temporary buildings, places of worship, some low-energy industrial or agricultural buildings and buildings due to be demolished.[1]
• Future MEES dates: supplier descriptions of future milestones conflict, and the supplied GOV.UK page does not verify those deadlines.[1][2][3][4][5] Confirm any date from an authoritative MEES source before using it in an upgrade plan or contract.

GOV.UK says an EPC is required when premises are sold or let, when a building under construction is completed, or when the number of parts used for separate occupation changes and fixed heating, air-conditioning or mechanical ventilation is provided or extended.[1] Ask the assessor to identify the applicable trigger or exemption separately from any optional improvement advice.

Define the assessment and handover in writing

A quote for “a commercial EPC” does not establish the inspection, modelling, lodgement and handover included. Ask the bidder to confirm:

• Property: the address, buildings or units covered, excluded areas and reason for the assessment.
• Assessor: the responsible assessor and approved accreditation scheme. GOV.UK says advice can be obtained from a commercial energy assessor or the approved scheme to which the assessor belongs.[1]
• Survey: whether the fee includes inspection of structure, dimensions, heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, insulation and renewable systems. Landlords Checks describes these elements in its non-invasive inspection and requires full access.[2]
• Modelling: the method, software and treatment of missing evidence. Sweco says it uses approved software and the National Calculation Methodology, identifying IES VE Compliance as its Dynamic Simulation Model.[4]
• Outputs: the certificate, register lodgement, recommendations document, delivery format and agreed completion timing. Landlords Checks describes report or certificate issue, recommendations and registration; Sweco describes a final EPC and separate recommendations document.[2][4]

Mark every deliverable as included, optional or excluded. Landlords Checks describes “EPC Plus” as adding detailed cost-saving and net-zero-aligned analysis.[2] Sweco offers energy audits, feasibility studies, retrofit and design optimisation, decarbonisation work and MEP input.[4] PPH Commercial separately promotes Facilities Management support for improvement works.[5] These services should not be assumed to form part of a basic certification quote.

Require written terms for corrections, post-survey amendments, changed designs and repeat visits. The supplied sources do not confirm standard reinspection or revision charges for any provider.[2][3][4][5]

Prepare evidence and access for the survey

Prepare an indexed evidence pack by property and, where relevant, floor or unit. Supplier descriptions support gathering the following information before the visit:[2][4]

• floor plans and room dimensions;
• construction, insulation and building-fabric details;
• lighting types and controls;
• heating equipment and controls;
• cooling, mechanical ventilation and renewable systems; and
• separately occupied areas and alterations.

Landlords Checks says its non-invasive inspection covers structure, heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, insulation and renewables and requires full access.[2] Sweco says its survey collects room dimensions, lighting, insulation levels and heating-system information, supported by measurements and photographs.[4]

Nominate a site contact, arrange access to the agreed areas and flag restrictions before the appointment. Send records in advance and ask which gaps could lead to modelling assumptions, alter the quote or timetable, or require another visit. The available sources do not quantify the effect of missing documents on the rating, cost or completion time.[2][4]

At the start of the visit, confirm the address, included units, floor areas and occupation boundaries. Before the assessor leaves, request a record of inaccessible areas, missing evidence and proposed assumptions. No standard return-visit charge or survey-day process is verified across the compared providers.[2][3][4][5]

Do not assume the rating will be available on the survey day. PPH Commercial says completion depends on property size and complexity, while no comparable turnaround commitment is verified for all four providers.[5]

Verify lodgement, recommendations and final handover

Check the complete handover rather than accepting a rating image alone.

Acceptance checklist

• Final EPC: obtain the completed certificate in the agreed format.
• Lodgement: request written evidence that the certificate has been lodged on the national EPC register. Landlords Checks describes registration as part of its process, but this does not establish every provider’s procedure.[2]
• Recommendations: obtain the recommendation report accompanying the EPC and check it relates to the assessed premises. The official non-domestic guide requires the certificate to be accompanied by recommendations for cost-effective improvements. A detailed retrofit design or decarbonisation consultancy is a separate service that may be quoted additionally.[6]
• Property details: check the address, client information, floor-area scope and assessed parts against the instruction.
• Assumptions: ask for inaccessible spaces and material modelling assumptions to be identified.
• Assessor record: retain the assessor’s name and supplied accreditation details with the property file.
• Corrections: obtain a written process for reporting errors, review, correction and any relodgement charge. Standard terms are not verified in the supplied sources.[2][3][4][5]

Keep certification separate from detailed net-zero analysis, retrofit feasibility, decarbonisation strategy and oversight of improvement works, which the relevant providers describe as additional services.[2][4][5] Make the agreed certificate, lodgement evidence, recommendations and correction process explicit acceptance criteria, with payment timing recorded in the contract.

References

1. Energy Performance Certificates for your business premises – GOV.UK (gov.uk)
2. Commercial EPC Assessment London | Certified Energy … (landlordschecks.co.uk)
3. Commercial EPC London | Commercial EPC Advice London | Commercial EPC Assessments London | Commercial EPC Certificate London (hollenplus.com)
4. EPCs (Commercial Property) | Assessment & Advisory Consultancy – Sweco UK (sweco.co.uk)
5. EPC Assessments for Commercial Property | PPH Commercial (pph-commercial.co.uk)
6. GOV.UK: non-domestic EPC guide (gov.uk)