Yes, and it must exist before the first advert, not at the time of the deed. Putting a home on the market without a valid energy certificate is an offence in all three Regions, and the certificate's indicator must appear in the advert itself.
The document is called the PEB certificate in Wallonia and Brussels, and the EPC in Flanders. It translates the home's energy performance into a label (a letter, from A to G or F depending on the Region) and a theoretical consumption expressed in energy per square metre per year.
When is it mandatory?
As soon as a home is put up for sale or rent. The obligation arises when the property goes on the market: the certificate must be available before the advert is published, and its result must appear in it. A prospective buyer or tenant can request it at any time.
It is then attached to the lease or handed over at the sale. The notary checks that it is present at the deed, but the obligation itself begins much earlier.
Who issues it, and for how long?
The certificate is issued by an accredited assessor approved by the Region where the property is located. They visit the home, record the characteristics of the envelope (insulation, window frames, roof) and of the systems (heating, hot water, ventilation), then enter this data into the official software that produces the label.
Its validity is ten years, except where works significantly alter the performance: an energy renovation warrants having a new one issued, both to remain compliant and because a better label is a selling point.
What it contains — and what it does not say
The certificate gives a theoretical consumption, calculated from the building's characteristics, and not your actual bill. Two households in the same home may consume very differently. It is an indicator of the property's intrinsic quality, not of your lifestyle.
It also lists, for guidance, improvement recommendations. These are not binding but give an idea of the works that would raise the label.
Three Regions, three regimes
Energy is a regional competence: the name of the document, the scale of the labels, the format of the advert and the penalties differ between Wallonia, the Brussels Region and Flanders. Flanders also imposes, for certain homes, a renovation obligation after purchase, tied to the label. Always check the regime of the property's Region with the relevant official source, listed below.
Why the label weighs on the price
Since energy became a visible cost item, the label directly influences perceived value: at comparable surface area and location, a poorly rated home is negotiated lower, the buyer anticipating the cost of works. The label is therefore one of the characteristics to factor in when you position your property within the market of its municipality — just like surface area or general condition.