Housing health and safety rating system
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a risk assessment tool used to assess potential risks to the health and safety of occupants in residential properties.
What types of properties is HHSRS used to assess?
It can be used to assess all residential dwellings.
How are dwellings assessed?
A risk assessment looks at the likelihood of an incident arising from the condition of the property and the likely harmful outcome. For example, how likely is a fire to break out, what will happen if one does?
Where there are hazards, the assessment could show the presence of serious hazards called category one, and other less serious hazards called category two.
Who assesses dwellings?
We will send an appropriately trained officer to carry out any assessments.
Which properties will be assessed?
We do not have to inspect every property in our area but will inspect if we have reason to do so.
Will we take action to fix all hazards found in the premises?
Action will be taken to fix all serious category one hazards and less serious category two hazards which are likely to develop to a category one hazard within a period of 12 months.
What are the most common category one hazards?
The most common hazards are cold, fire, falls, lead in drinking water pipes and old paintwork, and hot surfaces that could lead to burns or scalds. For example, fires, heaters, cookers and hot taps.
What happens if a property is found to contain serious hazards?
We have a duty to take the most appropriate action over the hazard.
We will try to deal with problems informally at first. Appropriate action could be to serve a notice for the landlord to carry out improvements to the property, for example to install central heating or insulation, fix a rail to steep stairs or mend a leaking roof.
If it is considered the most appropriate action, we can implement any of the following:
- serve an improvement notice requiring remedial works (the most likely action)
- make a prohibition order, which closes the whole or part of a dwelling or restricts the number of permitted occupants
- serve a hazard awareness notice
- take emergency remedial action
- make a emergency prohibition order
- make a demolition order
- include the property in a clearance area.
Who is responsible for making changes to the building?
The owner, landlord, or managing agent is responsible.
Who is responsible for ensuring appropriate action is taken by the owner, landlord or managing agent?
We make checks to ensure work is carried out.
How quickly do improvements need to be made?
We will decide, often in consultation with the owner. But unless it is an emergency an owner cannot be made to begin work earlier than 28 days.
An emergency would constitute the presence of a serious hazard and, in our view, an imminent risk of serious harm to the occupiers.
What are the penalties if the owner, landlord or managing agent fails to make improvements?
Landlords, owners or managing agents face fines of up to £5,000 for not complying with a statutory notice.
If it is not practical to make changes to a property, for example, if the property is a small stone cottage with a narrow stairwell that is assessed as a hazard, what is the solution?
This is at our discretion. If improvement of the property is not possible we can allow the tenants to remain living there if they appear less vulnerable to a hazard. In other cases we may have to prohibit or restrict occupation.
How does the HHSRS affect private landlords?
Landlords are advised to self assess their property to determine whether there are hazards that may cause a health or safety risk to tenants. They should then carry out changes to their property to reduce this risk.
Does this mean tenants can take their landlord to court if they get ill?
Yes, but the tenant would need to show that the illness was caused by the condition of the property and that the landlord had done nothing about it.
Where can I get more information about the HHSRS?
Information about the HHSRS is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government website www.communities.gov.uk/hhsrs