Hackney Property Licence Documents Checklist: What You Need to Upload

Why Documents Matter More Than You Think

Hackney's online licensing portal will not accept a payment without the mandatory uploads attached. But paying Part A with invalid or expired documents is worse — the application is not legally "duly made," your property stays unlicensed, and the Part A fee (£555–£840) is non-refundable. Getting your document pack right before you open the portal is the single most important step.

The Mandatory Document Pack

Gas Safety Certificate. Must be current — issued within the past 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Required for any property with gas appliances. If your boiler was last serviced 13 months ago, the certificate has expired and the application will stall.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). Valid for five years. The report must show a satisfactory overall assessment — any C1 (danger present) or C2 (potentially dangerous) codes mean the certificate is unsatisfactory and Hackney will not accept it. Get remedial work done and a re-test before applying.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Valid for 10 years. Minimum rating E required by law for private rentals (unless a statutory exemption is registered). Beyond the legal minimum, your EPC rating directly affects your licence fee — a rating of B or higher earns a £100 discount off Part B, and a C rating earns £50.

Scaled Floor Plans. Mandatory for all HMO applications. Strongly recommended for selective licences too — submitting without plans often causes processing delays. Plans must show exact room dimensions in square metres, window areas, and fire escape routes. Standard estate agent marketing plans will not do — they show gross internal area rather than the net usable space the council needs. For HMOs, the 1.5-metre ceiling height rule applies: any floor area where the ceiling is below 1.5 metres must be excluded from the room measurement.

Current Tenancy Agreement. The active, executed agreement setting out the terms and household structure. This confirms who is living in the property and on what basis.

Fit-and-Proper Person Declaration. A signed declaration covering criminal history, housing enforcement history, discrimination complaints, bankruptcy, and banning orders. Both the proposed licence holder and any managing agent must complete this. Overseas landlords who do not have a UK address must appoint a UK-based managing agent who also passes the test.

HMO-Specific Extras

For mandatory HMO applications, you also need:

• Fire safety test certificates for interlinked smoke alarms and any emergency lighting
• Proof of landlord accreditation (LLAS/UKLAP or NRLA) if you are claiming the £100 discount

Interested-Party Notices

Before or on the day you submit the application, you must serve written notice on every interested party: freeholders, mortgage lenders, joint owners, and managing agents. The portal asks you to declare that these notices have been served. Skipping this step or serving notice after submission leaves a gap in your application.

Upload Formats

The portal accepts PDF and JPEG uploads. Scanned certificates in PDF format are the safest option — they preserve legibility and the council's officers can verify details without requesting originals.

Building Your Pack

Aim to have every document assembled and checked before you log in to the portal. A single expired certificate or missing declaration means either a failed application (Part A lost) or a processing hold that extends the period your property sits in regulatory limbo.

The Hackney landlord licensing guide includes a pre-submission document checklist with validity dates, a room measurement worksheet for HMO floor plans, and worked examples of the fee discount calculation.

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