Is an energy certificate required?

Hello, since I couldn't find a specific topic about energy performance certificates, I am posting this in the general questions and hope that someone can help.

My fiancée is currently in the process of selling a house with land from her inheritance. Everything has been negotiated so far, and a draft purchase agreement has been prepared. The notary has now pointed out that an energy performance certificate is required.

My question is whether one is needed at all for this house? Because I have also read about exceptions where it is not necessary.

The year of construction is around 1900, and it is a settler semi-detached house without a built-in heating system; there are still the good old tiled stoves in the rooms. It is not a listed building. The house has been empty since 2013/2014 and is therefore not regularly and permanently heated or cooled. At irregular intervals, my parents-in-law go there to keep the property in shape. The buyers want to install a heating system themselves, which is why, in my opinion, the energy performance certificate would have little significance for the buyers.

Would a house without a heating system fall under these exceptions? A designation of wood combustion is not possible in relation to the recent years.

Thank you very much in advance.

Would a house without a heating system fall under these exceptions? Naming the wood burning is not possible in relation to the last few years.

The presentation of an energy certificate has been mandatory since 1.1.2014 when selling and renting all buildings used for residential and non-residential purposes. There are exceptions (rental of holiday apartments, holiday homes, and listed buildings and non-relevant outbuildings), but they do not apply here.

For houses with fewer than 5 residential units and a building application before 1.11.1977, which do not comply with the WschVO of 1978, a demand certificate is mandatory. For all others, there is a choice between a demand and an energy certificate if suitable consumption data are available and the building has not been vacant for an extended period.

I will summarize your situation:

Year of construction 1900
One residential unit
Coal firing
Vacancy
No monument protection

-> Demand certificate
Cost 100 € (with self-entry without professional examination at dubious online providers) - 300-500 € with data collection by the issuer on site.

Whether this makes sense is another matter. If the building is going to be renovated anyway, you should talk to the buyer. Perhaps they already have contact with an energy consultant or architect authorized to issue certificates. If they are going to redesign the house anyway, the demand certificate often comes along anyway (at least with the energy consultant).

An energy consumption certificate cannot actually be issued – and that would be the inexpensive version. The demand certificate is calculated quite extensively, among other things based on the building envelope; it costs between 400 and 500 here in the south. Without the consumption data, however, it is wasted money, I would consider the cheap version on the internet sufficient. No one will really need this energy certificate.

Best regards Gabriele

Five years ago, it was still possible to do without it. This was then recorded in the purchase contract (Parties/Buyer waive the preparation of the energy certificate) Whether this can still be done now – just ask the notary!

If neither buyer nor seller insists, simply have the notary record in the [KV] that the proof has already been handed over in advance. Everyone is happy...

Whether you can still do that now - just ask the notary!

Not anymore since 1/1/2014.

Have the notary include in the purchase contract that the proof has already been handed over in advance.

A call for breaking the law?

The blanket obligation to produce energy performance certificates for sales and rentals of buildings is open to criticism. Especially in this case with planned renovations and obvious need for modernization, the certificate helps little to not at all. Nevertheless, I would rather prefer the online version (here at least the questioner is not committing an offense) or ask the buyer about an already existing energy consultant/architect.