Flat Refurbishment Shoreditch

Flat refurbishment is the main refurbishment work in Shoreditch, because the VOA count for Shoreditch, Columbia Road and Brick Lane North puts 94% of homes there as flats. The blocks vary widely: 38% of homes in that count were built in 2000 or later, and the rest run from the Boundary Estate and post-war estates to converted Victorian warehouses. Each one comes with a lease, a freeholder or managing agent, neighbours above and below, and building rules on hours, lifts and common parts. We plan the refurbishment inside those limits before any work is priced.

For Shoreditch, published UK averages put a full flat refurbishment at £33,000 to £48,000 and a basic one, with budget kitchen and bathroom fittings, at £15,000 to £18,000, and London flats usually cost more (Checkatrade and MyJobQuote, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Shoreditch: we refurbish the flat within the terms of your lease and licence to alter, protect the common parts throughout, and a registered electrician certifies the new consumer unit and circuits.

Which kind of Shoreditch block your flat is in

The type of block decides the main refurbishment choices in a Shoreditch flat. In the wider VOA count, 72% of homes were built after 1945 and 38% in 2000 or later, and a post-war or modern block typically has a concrete frame, screeded floors, fixed risers and shared ventilation. In a block like that, a kitchen or bathroom stays close to where the soil stack runs, and a new layout is worked out around the existing drainage before finishes are chosen. If the block is a higher-risk building under the Building Safety Act, the Building Safety Regulator, not Hackney, is building control for notifiable work. Some self-certified competent person scheme work is outside its approval, but certain scheme types cannot be used in such a building.

A flat in a converted warehouse or an older conversion has timber floors, exposed brick and services that earlier owners have rerouted many times. Sound travels further through timber, and leaks reach the flat below faster. We check the floor build up and the route of every pipe at the survey, and we pressure test new plumbing before floors go down, because a leak into the flat below a Shoreditch conversion becomes a claim between neighbours.

Housing in Shoreditch

Of the 11,700 homes the valuation list records in Shoreditch, 24% were built before 1919, 4% between the wars and 72% since 1945; 94% are flats and 6% are houses.

Leases, licences to alter and managing agents in Shoreditch

Read the lease before the design is fixed, because it sets what a Shoreditch leaseholder may change. Expect the lease to need the freeholder's written licence to alter for anything beyond decoration: moving a kitchen or bathroom, taking out a partition, new windows or a new floor finish. The managing agent will normally ask for drawings, a method statement and evidence of the contractor's details, and may charge the leaseholder for the approval.

Hard floors are the common trap. A lease may require carpet, or an acoustic underlay tested to a set standard, so that footsteps do not carry to the flat below. If you want timber or tiles in a Shoreditch flat, the agent will want the underlay specification first. We supply the product data and build the floor to the approved detail, then keep the photographs so the freeholder can see what went under the finish.

Lifts, common parts and deliveries in a Shoreditch block

Plan the logistics with the building manager before the start date, because a Shoreditch block is someone else's building. Lifts are booked and lined with protection, hallways and stair treads are covered, and waste leaves in bags rather than through the lobby in loose loads. A block may set its own working hours for noisy work, which can be shorter than the council's. Where the two differ, we follow whichever is tighter and show the quiet days on the programme.

Outside, kerb space is the constraint. A delivery van or a small skip on the road may need a suspended parking bay, and Hackney asks for that application at least 7 working days ahead. On a busy Shoreditch street a skip is rarely practical for a single flat, so we remove waste in bags through a registered waste carrier, timed around the block's bin days, the lift booking and the neighbours' access.

Letting a refurbished Shoreditch flat: EPC and licensing

A flat that will be let needs its energy rating and its licence sorted before the tenant moves in. Since 1 April 2018 private landlords may not let on new tenancies with an EPC of F or G unless an exemption applies, and since 1 April 2020 that has covered continuing lets too. Hackney enforces the standard. Hackney's selective licensing designation came into force on 1 May 2026 and runs until 30 April 2031; check that the address is on the Hackney side and inside it. Its licence conditions cover bedroom size, kitchen and bathroom facilities, and gas, electrical and fire safety.

A refurbishment between tenancies is the natural point to deal with both. Hackney says a rented property with an EPC of C or above may be eligible for a discount on the licence fee. Ask the energy assessor which measures move a Shoreditch flat up a band: heating controls, an efficient electric or gas system, lighting and draught proofing. The landlord applies for the licence; we build to its conditions and hand over the certificates.

• Electric heating upgrades: high retention heaters, or a heat pump where the building allows
• Consumer unit replacement from the meter onwards
• Common parts protection: floor sheeting, corner guards and lift lining

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Shoreditch, Columbia Road and Brick Lane North. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Useful next reading for a flat refurbishment project in Shoreditch: bathroom renovation in Shoreditch, flat refurbishment across Hackney, flat renovations in London, bathroom fitters in London for flats, our London flat refurbishment page and Condensation or Damp.

Why Choose GS Renovation in Shoreditch

Refurbishing a Shoreditch flat depends on getting the building's permissions and the neighbours on side before the first wall is opened. We survey the flat, read the relevant lease rules with you, and give you a written quotation and a written programme that the managing agent can approve. One point of contact deals with the building manager, the lift bookings and the trades. At handover you receive the electrical certificate from the registered electrician and the records the freeholder asked for.

• Kitchens and bathrooms renewed within the existing footprint and drainage
• Common parts protected, photographed and handed back as we found them
• Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder

Checked by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder and director of GS Renovation Ltd (Companies House no. 14611254).