In Wallonia, the final EPC certificate must be issued at reception. Not the provisional EPC annexed to the permit, not the EPC commitment from the planning file: the final certificate issued by an approved certifier after completion of the works, based on precise technical encoding (heat losses, thermal bridges, n50 airtightness, heating and ventilation equipment). Yet in 2026 I still see, in one file out of four, that this document is missing on D-day. Here is the legal impact, the practical remedies, and the right wording to insert in the minutes to preserve your rights.
What Walloon regulation says
The Walloon EPC decree (Energy Performance of Buildings) requires the declarant (the client or their representative) to provide the certificate at commissioning. In practice, the contractor or architect orders the certifier’s visit, but final responsibility rests on the owner vis-à-vis the Walloon Region.
Without a final EPC certificate, you cannot:
- Sell your property (obligation upon market listing since 2010)
- Rent your property (obligation since 2011)
- Justify the performance promised in the construction contract
- Obtain certain municipal or regional subsidies
- Activate the ten-year liability on contested energy performance
Since 2026, with the EPC-A obligation for residential new builds, the sanction for an EPC delivered in a lower class (B, C, D) is clear: compensation pro rata to the value loss between the contractual class and the delivered class. See the article 2026 construction regulation for details on new thresholds.
The impact if you sign anyway
Signing minutes “without reservation” while the EPC is missing amounts to acknowledging that delivery is compliant. It then becomes difficult to obtain penalties, and impossible to withhold the balance on this ground. Walloon case law is clear and consistent: a missing EPC is a delivery defect, but only if expressly mentioned as such in the minutes.
In 2025 I expertised a case in Namur where the owner had signed without reservation, the EPC arriving only 4 months later in class C instead of A. The court refused compensation: signature without reservation amounted to tacit acceptance. Cost for the owner: 22,000 € value loss not compensated.
Wording to insert in the minutes (to copy)
If the provisional reception takes place and the EPC is not delivered, never accept to sign without the following mention, to be reproduced word for word:
This paragraph protects your rights on three fronts: financial retention, timed deadline, legal basis for subsequent action.
The remedy in practice
Three steps to recover a missing EPC and obtain possible compensation:
- Explicit mention in the minutes (wording above) on the day of reception
- Security retention maintained on the balance owed to the contractor
- Registered formal notice at D+30 setting a new 15-day deadline
If the EPC value delivered differs from the contractual commitment (for example EPC B delivered instead of EPC A), you are entitled to compensation pro rata to the value loss of the dwelling. Reckon 5 to 8% of the property price per class lost, according to average Walloon case law 2023-2026. On a house at 380,000 €, one class lost therefore represents 19,000 to 30,400 € of theoretical compensation.
The cost of EPC certification
For the record, a final EPC certification costs:
- Standard single-family house: 350 to 550 € (generally borne by the contractor)
- Apartment: 200 to 350 €
- Complex villa: up to 800 €
This cost is ridiculous compared to the legal stake of a poorly documented file. No serious contractor will refuse this step if you insist in writing.
Pitfalls to avoid
- Never sign minutes without EPC mention if the certificate is missing
- Beware of provisional EPCs: only the final one is authoritative
- Check the class delivered vs class contracted
- Keep the original EPC with your owner’s file (10-year duration)
- Request the full encoding report, not only the summary sheet
For EPC obligations in Wallonia, see energie.wallonie.be. For associated energy subsidies, energie.wallonie.be — subsidies.
What next?
If your reception is approaching and the EPC has not yet been ordered by the contractor, follow up in writing today. In case of doubt about the compliance of the delivered EPC, my firm offers an insulation expertise that includes verification of EPC data, or a broader construction audit.