Expats in Spain warned over property certificate scam Adding to the confusion is the fact that many people do not understand whether or not they need a certificate. Even though all new homes built after 2007 should already have the energy certificate, some Spanish regions were negligent in enforcing the legislation, so some new homes won't have one. A certificate must be issued by an architect, engineer or a qualified technician who is authorised to undertake building projects and thermal installations for buildings. Not all architects and engineers are certified. The professional must belong to an official provincial association and have a membership number. The price should be between €200 and €300 euros per home (£170 and £260). Tony Poole, a British electrician who has lived near Alicante for the past 12 years, said: "We know the scammers are out there, evident by reports from official sources, but people may not realise they have been scammed just yet. Not until they try to register the certificate with the local government authority, or they try to sell their home with an unauthorised certificate."" Once a certificate has been issued it needs to be registered with the local Spanish authority. Procedures differ between regional governments with some requiring a fee of about €30 (£26). When the registration is approved, an energy label is issued which can then be made available to real estate agents, prospective buyers or tenants. Anyone found in breach of the new legislation is liable to be prosecuted, with fines up to €6,000 (£5,170).