Homes in Hounslow and what they mean for an EICR
Hounslow's homes span well over a century. Council tax records put about 16% of them before 1919, 28% between the wars and a fifth in 2000 or later, with the rest built in the decades in between.
Older terraces and villas have usually been rewired, but often in stages: a kitchen circuit from one decade, a loft conversion from another. The electrician tests each circuit and records where it falls short of today's wiring rules, such as sockets without RCD protection — the safety switch that cuts the power in an earth fault.
Nearly three in ten Hounslow households live in a semi-detached house. Many have been extended at the back or side, and some have a garage or garden office with its own supply. Rewireable fuses and earthing that was never upgraded can still turn up where a home hasn't been checked for years.
More than a third of households live in purpose-built flats. In a block, your flat's EICR covers the installation from your consumer unit (fuse board) onwards. Corridors, lifts and stair lighting run from the building's landlord supply, which the rented-home rules don't cover, although whoever manages the building should still have it checked regularly.
Letting a property in Hounslow
There's no selective licensing in Hounslow, so a flat or house let to one household, or to two sharers, needs no council licence. Shared houses are another matter. The current borough-wide additional scheme, in force from 11 December 2025 to 10 December 2030, covers HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) with three or more people from two or more households, alongside mandatory licensing for five or more.
Both licences use the same online application, and the council asks you to upload "a current valid domestic installation periodic report from a competent electrician" — in other words, an EICR. Have it done, and any repairs finished, before you start the form.
Every private let in the borough must also meet the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020. That means an inspection and test at least every five years by a qualified, competent person, a copy of the report for each tenant, and anything coded C1 or C2 (danger present or potentially dangerous) put right — along with any further investigation the report asks for — within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Breaches can bring a council penalty of up to £40,000.
