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What is BER and how does it affect my mortgage application?

 

Building Energy Rating (BER) is a rating on the overall energy efficiency of a residential property or building. The BER scale ranges from A (most energy efficient) to G (least energy efficient).
 
From 1 February 2025, all our mortgage customers must give us a valid BER certificate / completed Building Certificate (stage payments) before their mortgage funds are released. This will apply to both owner occupier and investment property mortgages.
 
If your Letter of Offer is dated on or after 1 February 2025, you must give us a valid BER certificate to draw down the mortgage funds irrespective of the interest rate you have selected or the BER rating of the property.
 
If your Letter of Offer is dated before 1 February 2025, you only need to give us a valid BER certificate if you have chosen a Green interest rate. For more information on the interest rates available, please visit our website Mortgage Interest Rates.
 
A BER certificate is valid for 10 years. The mortgage must be taken out before the end date on the certificate.
 
  • If you are buying a new or second-hand property, the seller of the property will have the BER certificate. The estate agent or solicitor should be able to share it. Or the BER reference number will be available on the property listing. This reference number can be used to source the complete report from the SEAI National BER Register.  
  • You can print off the report or upload a screen shot to your MyMortgage app account.
  • If you are switching your mortgage to us, you must give us a valid BER certificate before you take out the mortgage, irrespective of the interest rate you have selected or the BER rating of the property. If you don’t have a valid BER certificate for your property, you will need to arrange to get one and you will have to pay for it. To check if your property already has a BER certificate, visit the SEAI National BER Register website. For more information on arranging a BER assessment of your property, please visit the SEAI website.
  • If you are a self-build customer or topping-up your mortgage for works that need planning permission, you need to give us a completed Building Certificate confirming nZEB standards each time you ask for a stage payment. Your architect or engineer will complete these certificates. You can locate a copy of the Building Certificate on our website under the Forms and Guides section or by clicking on Building Certificate form. 
  • If you are topping up your mortgage to carry out renovations that do not require planning permission, or you are topping up your mortgage for any other reason, you will need to give us a valid BER certificate prior to drawdown.  If you don’t have a valid BER certificate for your property, you will need to get one and you will have to pay for it. For more information, please visit the SEAI website.
If your property or the property you are buying is registered as BER exempt, you must provide us with documents that show this from the appropriate Local Authority Record of Protected Structures (PSR). The cost of a BER certificate varies based on factors like the provider and property size, so it is not included in our credit cost calculations.
 

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