Three kinds of Hackney home
Much of Hackney's housing falls into three groups. About a third of homes (35%) were built before 1919, a fifth between 1945 and 1972, and almost a quarter from 2000 onwards. More than eight in ten homes are flats, and around four in ten households rent from the council or a housing association.
Victorian terraces, many of them split into flats, raise familiar questions at an EICR: which consumer unit (the fuse board) serves which flat, whether any old wiring survived the conversion, and whether the earth connections to gas and water pipes, known as main bonding, are in place. The report should list anything the inspector couldn't reach.
If you let a flat on a post-war estate, your EICR covers the flat's own installation from its meter onwards, while the rising main, landing lights and door entry system belong to the freeholder.
New-build flats usually have modern boards with RCD protection — the safety switch that cuts the power in a fault — but later changes such as extra sockets or a kitchen refit should come with their own certificates. Once let, a new flat needs a report every five years like any other.
Letting a property in Hackney
Since 1 May 2026, selective licensing has covered 17 of Hackney's 21 wards, from Stoke Newington and Clissold to Hackney Wick and Victoria. Shared homes need an HMO licence wherever they are. The council doesn't require an EICR with the application, but it asks for electrical and fire safety reports to avoid delays, and licence conditions require a declaration of electrical safety within seven days of a request.
The national duty applies with or without a licence. Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, a qualified person must inspect and test the installation at least every five years. Tenants need a copy within 28 days of the inspection, new tenants before they move in, and the council within seven days of asking. Anything coded C1 or C2 — and any further investigation the report asks for — has to be dealt with within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Councils can impose fines of up to £40,000.
Before the inspection
Entrance fobs and locked riser cupboards can hold things up in newer blocks, so ask your tenant or managing agent to sort them out before the day. A studio, one or two-bedroom flat on one consumer unit starts from £90 inc VAT, whether it is in a Victorian conversion, on an estate or in a new block.
