Housing Health and Safety Rating System
The new Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) assesses the safety of homes (including houses, flats and bedsits); replacing the Housing Fitness Regime.
The principle behind HHSRS is that homes (including outbuildings, yards, amenity space, and means of access) should provide a safe and healthy environment for occupiers and visitors.
This guidance is particularly useful for landlords as it will help you understand the requirements under the Housing Act 2004 in relation to the HHSRS. It will help you identify the type of work that is needed on your property to meet HHSRS standards.
The system is based on a risk assessment of 29 hazards where the likelihood of injury or ill health from each hazard is calculated. Once an assessment is made, any hazards found are scored as either category one or category two (A category one hazard is where the landlord has a duty to take action when there is an intolerable level of risk. A category two hazard is when the landlord has the option to take action when there is a hazard, but is strongly advised to do so). Category one hazards pose a higher risk and must be remedied. If action is not taken enforcement maybe taken by the local authority by using a Housing Act Notice. Click here for more information.
The introduction of the HHSRS also gave local authorities new powers to respond to complaints from tenants and take enforcement action if and when problems are not solved.
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How can I assess hazards as a landlord?
Ensure that when you are inspecting the property you include any gardens, pathways, steps and outbuildings. Then look at each of the 29 hazards to see:
- if there is any danger of anyone getting harmed
- what can be done to remove or reduce the hazard.
Some solutions may be simple, such as reducing the risk from a fall on steep stairs by making sure any stair carpet fits properly and by providing a handrail.
Other solutions can be less obvious, in areas such as fireproofing for example. Fire prevention guidance is available in the document Fire Precautions in Dwellings. However, please contact us if you have any questions about hazard assessment or solutions.