The owners of houses without a home energy efficiency label will soon be subject to a fine of €405, according to a new plan presented on Tuesday by housing minister Stef Blok.

The certificates have been compulsory for all homes sold or rented out since January 2008. However, the energy rating ruling has been widely flouted in the Netherlands with both sides in a property transaction ignoring the requirement.

In future, Blok wants all property transactions to be checked for energy labels and fines handed out for properties which do not have one, the AD reports.

Originally, the cabinet planned to halt transactions if the property did not have a formal energy label. ‘A fine is much less strict,’ a spokesman for housing association Eigen Huis told the paper. ‘That disaster has fortunately been avoided.’

According to the housing ministry, the new energy label is ‘easier and cheaper’ than its unpopular predecessor. Information about the property is given via the internet, avoiding the need for a visit by an assessor. This means the energy label costs just a few euros.

Over the coming months, five million households will receive a provisional energy certificate free of charge, the AD says. They can turn this into a definitive label by registering via internet any improvements in sustainability they have made.