If you are selling your home in Alicante or Benidorm, the energy performance certificate is not a final-step formality: you must have it before the listing is even published, and the energy label must appear in the advertising. It is required by Royal Decree 390/2021, and the notary will ask for the registered certificate on completion day.
Cost and timing
For a typical apartment in Alicante province the certificate costs €60-130; large homes and villas can reach €250-350. The full process — technician visit, calculation and registration with IVACE — usually takes 2 to 7 days. Avoid "no-visit certificates": the technician is legally required to inspect the property.
Validity: 10 years (with one exception)
The general validity is 10 years from registration. If the home receives the lowest rating, G, validity drops to 5 years. It is also worth renewing after renovations that change energy performance (windows, boiler, insulation): a better letter sells faster and supports a better price.
New in 2026: check your technician is registered
Since July 2026, under the amended RD 390/2021, the Central Registry of Competent Technicians is in force: only registered professionals can issue valid certificates. Ask for the registration number before you hire.
Fines for selling without it
Advertising or selling without a certificate carries fines of €300 to €6,000 depending on severity (Law 8/2013). Falsifying energy information is a very serious offence: €1,001 to €6,000. Given what the certificate costs, the risk is never worth it.
Can you improve the rating without major works?
Often yes, and cheaply: LED lighting, thermostats, window sealing or replacing an old boiler can lift the rating one letter. Northern European buyers — nearly half the market in this province — are especially sensitive to energy efficiency.
VITALITY handles it for you
Sell exclusively with us and we coordinate the certificate with registered local technicians so it is ready before going to market, together with the rest of your paperwork. Start with a free 24-hour valuation and check your net proceeds with our selling costs and tax calculator.