London Bridge and City towers at dusk with street lights coming on

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Emergency electrician in Hackney

For an electrical emergency in Hackney, Dalston or Stoke Newington, check first whether your neighbours and hall lights have power. If the block or street is off, call 105 for UK Power Networks. If only your flat is off, or you can smell burning, switch off at the main switch if safe and call an emergency electrician.

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Hackney

Electrician in Hackney

Tell us what is wrong and where. If it might be a power cut, check the street first and call 105.

The homes in Hackney

Hackney is the most flat dominated borough we cover. The Valuation Office Agency counts 82% of its 120,680 homes as flats or maisonettes, and 29% as built before 1900. Victorian terraces in De Beauvoir, Dalston, Clapton and Stoke Newington have mostly been split into flats. Large council estates from the 1950s to 70s sit alongside them, and Hackney Wick has former industrial buildings turned into homes. 23% of homes have been built since 2000. That means a lot of meter cupboards, shared risers and landlord supplies, and a large private rented sector where EICRs are a legal requirement.

No power in your flat but the hall lights are on

In a block or converted house, your flat and the communal areas are on separate supplies. If the hall lights work but your flat is dark, the fault is on your side: your consumer unit, your meter tails or your main fuse. If the hall is dark too, the problem may be the landlord supply or the whole building, so contact the managing agent and call 105. In bigger blocks, the cables that carry power up the building may belong to the network operator or the building owner. Our advice on no power in your flat explains how to tell them apart.

In Hackney Wick and around Dalston, many homes are in former industrial buildings or blocks built since 2000. These often have each flat's meter in a ground floor intake room, with the supply carried up the building. UK Power Networks' own guidance on new blocks says the building network operator installs and keeps the rising and lateral mains. If your flat is off and the meter display is blank, ask the managing agent whether others are affected before booking anyone. Notifiable work inside the flat is self certified by a registered competent person or notified to Hackney Council's building control.

EICRs for Hackney rentals

Private and social landlords must have the electrics inspected at least every 5 years, give tenants a copy within 28 days, and complete urgent work within 28 days, according to the government guidance. The EICR covers the flat's own installation. The communal supply is a separate installation for whoever runs the building. Our guide to EICRs for rented flats in Hackney goes into more detail.

If you are a tenant, your landlord must give you a copy of the latest report. If you have not had one, you can ask for it. Councils can ask landlords for a copy within 7 days.

AFDDs in HMOs and tall blocks

Under BS 7671 Amendment 4, arc fault detection devices are required on socket circuits in houses in multiple occupation and in high rise residential buildings over 18 metres or more than six storeys, according to NICEIC. Elsewhere they are recommended. Our post on AFDDs in London flats explains what they do.

Most asked for in Hackney