Selling or letting in Luxembourg: what are your energy certificate obligations?
By Yacine Sahnoune, founder of renov.lu
To sell or let a home in Luxembourg, the owner must hold a valid energy performance certificate (CPE or Energiepass), issued less than 10 years ago. The energy performance and thermal insulation classes must appear in every listing; the original goes to the buyer and a certified copy to the tenant. Failing to hand over the certificate is punishable by a fine of €251 to €25,000.
- Who: the seller (sale) or the landlord (letting) orders and pays for the certificate
- When: at every change of owner or tenant, unless a valid certificate already exists
- Validity: 10 years from the date of issue
- Listing: energy performance class + thermal insulation class
- Handover: original to the new owner, certified copy to the new tenant
- Exemptions: sale for demolition, public auction, foreclosure
- Penalty: 8 days to 2 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of €251 to €25,000
Putting a property up for sale or rent?
Get a valid certificate before your listing: an approved expert working with renov.lu calls you back within 24 hours, negotiated rate of €475 for a house.
When is an energy certificate required to sell or let?
The Grand-Ducal Regulation of 9 June 2021 (Article 14) requires a certificate at every change of owner or tenant, if the building does not already have a valid certificate. A certificate is valid for 10 years and stays with the building, not the owner: the previous seller’s one can be used until it expires.
| Situation | Certificate required? | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Sale of a house or flat | Yes, unless a certificate is under 10 years old | The seller |
| New letting or change of tenant | Yes, unless a certificate is under 10 years old | The landlord |
| Lease continuing with the same tenant | No: the text targets a change of tenant | — |
| Sale for demolition, public auction, foreclosure | No: exemptions set by the regulation | — |
The applicable text, the other mandatory cases (new build, extension, alteration) and how to read the classes are explained in our energy performance certificate guide.
Sale: the seller’s 4 duties
The seller has four certificate-related duties, from listing to transfer of ownership (Articles 14 and 17 of the 2021 regulation).
Hold a valid certificate
Order and pay for a certificate if none under 10 years old exists. Allow about €500 to €600 including VAT for a house (price details).
Show the classes in the listing
Energy performance class and thermal insulation class, in every sale listing, whatever the medium.
Show it to prospective buyers
The certificate must be available to any interested buyer: have it to hand from the first viewings.
Hand the original to the new owner
The original certificate goes to the buyer on transfer of ownership; in practice, have it ready for signing the deed at the notary’s.
The energy class weighs in negotiations. If you have insulated or replaced the heating since the last certificate, a new one can add value. The effect of classes on prices is analysed in how the certificate affects property prices.
Letting: the landlord’s duties
The landlord has the same duties as a seller, with one difference: they keep the original and give the new tenant a certified copy of the certificate.
- Before the listing: hold a valid certificate; the cost falls on the landlord, not the tenant.
- In the listing: energy performance class and thermal insulation class.
- During viewings: any interested prospective tenant can consult the certificate.
- When signing the lease: hand over the certified copy; attaching it to the lease proves it was handed over.
- For the next tenant: no new certificate while it is under 10 years old.
A poorly rated home can still be let: no rule in force bans letting based on the energy class.
What the property listing must show
Every sale or rental listing must show two classes from the certificate: the energy performance class and the thermal insulation class (Article 17(4) of the 2021 regulation). The rule applies to property portals, agencies, the press and private listings.
| In the listing | Example |
|---|---|
| Energy performance class (mandatory) | Energy class: D |
| Thermal insulation class (mandatory) | Insulation class: E |
| Environmental performance class (optional) | CO₂: F |
In practice, the certificate must exist before the listing goes live. This duty applies even though the text does not list it among the criminal offences.
Selling or letting a flat in a co-owned building
For a flat, the certificate to produce is the one for the whole building (Article 14(7) of the regulation); a certificate for your unit alone is only possible as a supplement and is not enough to sell or let.
- First step: ask the building manager (syndic) for the building’s certificate and its date. If it is under 10 years old, it is all you need.
- No valid certificate: the building’s certificate must be drawn up. Suggest the general meeting orders it for everyone: it will serve every co-owner who sells or lets for 10 years.
- Cost: based on the number of units, from €599 + €50 per unit in an approved expert’s public price list (price for a building).
When to order the certificate
Order the certificate before instructing an agency or publishing a listing: without it, the listing cannot show the mandatory classes. No legal deadline governs how long it takes to issue, which depends on the expert’s schedule (steps and timelines to get a certificate).
| Stage | Sale | Letting |
|---|---|---|
| Before the listing | Valid certificate in hand | Valid certificate in hand |
| Listing | Energy and insulation classes | Energy and insulation classes |
| Viewings | Certificate available to any candidate | Certificate available to any candidate |
| Signature | Preliminary contract: copy attached recommended | Lease: certified copy handed to the tenant |
| Transfer | Deed of sale: original handed to the buyer | The landlord keeps the original |
Penalties for breaches
Breaches of the regulation of 9 June 2021, including failing to hand the certificate to the buyer or tenant, are punished under Article 20 of the amended law of 5 August 1993, to which Article 23 of the regulation refers: 8 days to 2 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine of €251 to €25,000.
Figures such as « a fine of up to €5,000 » or « €61 to €24,789 » are wrong or outdated. Another, more immediate risk: a certificate drawn up by someone who is neither an OAI member nor an approved expert has no value as a certificate, so your duty is not fulfilled.
When no energy certificate is required
The regulation provides three exemptions for transfers of ownership: a sale for demolition, a public auction and a foreclosure. There is no exemption linked to the age, size or poor class of a property: a house rated I is sold or let with its certificate, which requires no works.
Request a certificate before your listing
Select « sale » or « letting » and the property type: an approved expert working with renov.lu calls you back within 24 hours and usually delivers the certificate within 72 hours of the visit. House: €475. Flat: quotation for the building’s certificate. Free request, no obligation.
Your certificate ready for the listing
Approved expert, certificate valid for 10 years, original provided for the buyer.
Frequently asked questions about energy certificates when selling or letting
Can I publish a listing before receiving the energy certificate?
No, in principle: every sale or rental listing must show the certificate’s energy performance class and thermal insulation class. Without a certificate, those classes are unknown. So order the certificate before instructing an agency or putting the listing online.
Do I need a new energy certificate every time the tenant changes?
No. The duty applies on a change of tenant only if the building has no valid certificate. A certificate under 10 years old serves all successive tenants; each receives a certified copy and the landlord keeps the original.
Who pays for the energy certificate when a property is sold?
The seller. The regulation of 9 June 2021 places the certificate on whoever must provide it: the seller for a sale, the landlord for a letting. The buyer pays nothing and receives the original on transfer of ownership. For a house, allow about €500 to €600 including VAT.
My energy certificate is 9 years old: can I still use it to sell?
Yes, as long as it is valid: a certificate lasts 10 years from its date of issue. If the sale may complete after it expires, or if you have done works that would improve the class, have a new certificate drawn up to avoid a listing based on an expired or unfavourable document.
Can the buyer ask to see the energy certificate before signing the preliminary contract?
Yes. The certificate must be available to any interested buyer from the viewings onwards. The buyer can check the three classes and the expert’s recommendations before committing; attaching a copy to the preliminary contract avoids any dispute.
Does the tenant receive the original energy certificate?
No. The tenant receives a certified copy of the certificate; the landlord keeps the original, which will go to the new owner if the property is sold. On a sale, however, it is the original that goes to the buyer.