I am an accredited domestic energy assessor covering all of Islington: Angel, Barnsbury, Canonbury and Pentonville (N1), Highbury (N5), Holloway (N7), Upper Holloway, Archway and Tufnell Park (N19), the Islington side of Finsbury Park (N4), and Clerkenwell and Finsbury in EC1. Same-day and next-day visits are usually available, and there is no travel surcharge anywhere inside Greater London.
| Households (2021 census) | 96,496 |
|---|---|
| Rented privately | 31.2% (London 30.0%) |
| Owned outright or with a mortgage | 26.7% (London 45.2%) |
| Social rented | 40.2% (London 23.1%) |
| Households living in a flat | 83.6% (London 54.0%) |
| …of which in a converted house | 21.3% of all households (London 11.1%) |
| Households in a house | 16.3% (London 45.9%) |
| Typical (median) EPC score | 72, band C (London 70) |
| Homes with an EPC rated C or above | 63% (London 58%) |
| Selective licence (1 or 2 people, or one household) | Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington |
| New selective licence from 23 November 2026 | Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay, Tufnell Park |
| Documents the application asks for | Include an EPC, floor plans and room sizes |
Sources: Census 2021, Office for National Statistics, tables TS054 (tenure) and TS044 (accommodation type) via Nomis; London means the 33 local authorities added together. Licensing: Islington Council’s “Property licensing” and “How to apply for a property licence” pages, checked 22 October 2026. EPC figures: ONS, “Energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales” (28 October 2025), the latest certificate for each home lodged in the ten years to March 2025, at the score when it was assessed; homes without an EPC are not counted.
Islington’s three property licences
- Selective licence — any privately rented home occupied by one or two people, related or not, or by a single family or household, in a selective licensing ward. The current scheme covers Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington. A new designation covers Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park: applications opened on 7 September 2026 and the scheme starts at midnight on 23 November 2026.
- Additional licence — houses or flats shared by three or four unrelated people in two or more households who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet; buildings of bedsits or flats that are not fully self-contained, occupied the same way; flats let to three or four sharers in a purpose-built block where mandatory licensing does not apply; and converted buildings whose conversion falls short of the 1991 Building Regulations where all the flats are tenanted and under one owner (section 257 HMOs).
- Mandatory licence — five or more unrelated people in two or more households sharing facilities.
Letting a property that should be licensed is a criminal offence. The council can prosecute, or fine up to £40,000 for each offence against each person responsible, and it can apply for a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
The application asks for an EPC, floor plans and room sizes
Islington is specific about the paperwork. Its online application asks for, among other things, the room sizes of every room except bathrooms, toilets, hallways and landings, floor plans, and an energy performance certificate, alongside a gas safety certificate where there is gas and an electrical installation condition report. The council warns that if you do not provide all the information and documents, the application may be rejected and you will have to pay again to reapply.
One visit covers all three: a lodged EPC, and a laser-measured floor plan with every room’s dimensions, which gives you the room sizes the form asks for. Together they cost from £123 (full pricing). The licence fees are on the council’s property licensing pages, checked on 22 October 2026, and City Hall’s property licence checker shows which scheme an address falls in.
What the assessment looks at in an Islington home
How homes in Islington score today. The ONS’s latest figures use each home’s most recent EPC lodged in the ten years to March 2025. The typical (median) score here is 72, band C, against 70 across London, and 63% of those homes are rated C or above (London 58%). Homes built before 1929 have a median of 67, against 84 for homes built since 2012; flats and maisonettes come out at 73, terraced houses at 64. How every London borough compares.
83.6% of Islington households live in a flat, and a large share of them in flats carved out of houses: 21.3% of households live in a converted house, nearly twice the London figure of 11.1%.
Georgian squares and Victorian terraces
Much of Islington was built as a suburb in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Lord Northampton began developing Canonbury in 1803, Canonbury Square went up between 1805 and 1830, and the north of Highbury filled with close-packed terraced houses. Many of those houses are now flats. In a converted flat the walls are usually solid brick, and whether there is another flat above and below changes the result as much as the walls do. Windows are recorded as they are, so if double glazing has been fitted, find the installation paperwork showing when.
Estates from the 1930s to the 1970s
The Blitz destroyed 3,200 Islington homes. Council blocks had gone up in the 1930s, and after the war building peaked in the 1960s, by both the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and the London County Council. The Marquess Estate in Canonbury, completed in 1976, has 1,200 homes, and the sprawling Andover estate stands in Holloway. Islington has the second-highest share of social renting in London (40.2%, after Hackney). In a purpose-built flat the heating system and the flat’s position in the block decide most of the rating, so it helps to know whether heating is communal or the flat has its own boiler.
Selling a home in Islington
26.7% of Islington households own their home, the third-lowest share in London. If you are selling, the EPC must be ordered before the home goes on the market; the sellers’ guide covers the timing and whether an older certificate will still do.
Prices
- Domestic EPC from £69
- EPC + floor plan from £123, in one visit
- Floor plan only from £69
Guide prices by size: £69 up to 52 square metres, which covers a typical one-bedroom flat, £75 for two bedrooms and £85 from 71 to 95 square metres. The same anywhere in London, confirmed in writing before you book and paid after the visit. How EPC prices compare across London.
Common questions
Which Islington wards need a selective licence?
Finsbury Park, Hillrise and Tollington are in the current scheme. A new scheme covering Barnsbury, Caledonian, Highbury, Junction, Laycock, Mildmay and Tufnell Park starts at midnight on 23 November 2026, and applications for it opened on 7 September 2026. It applies to privately rented homes occupied by one or two people, or by a single family or household.
Does the Islington licence application need an EPC?
Yes. The council lists an energy performance certificate among the documents, along with floor plans and the size of every room except bathrooms, toilets, hallways and landings. Missing documents can mean the application is rejected and you pay again to reapply.
Can you provide the floor plan and room sizes Islington asks for?
Yes. A laser-measured floor plan records every room’s dimensions, so it gives you both, and with an EPC in the same visit it costs from £123.
What is the fine for an unlicensed rental in Islington?
The council can prosecute, or fine up to £40,000 for each offence against each person responsible, and it can apply for a rent repayment order of up to 24 months’ rent.
How much is an EPC in Islington?
From £69 for a home of up to 52 square metres, which covers a typical one-bedroom flat, and £75 for two bedrooms, rising with floor area. The prices are the same anywhere in London, with no travel surcharge.
Nearby
Next door: Hackney, Haringey, Camden and the City of London. I cover every London borough.