Housing Health and Safety Rating System

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) has replaced the fitness standard as a method of assessing housing conditions. Rather than a fixed standard, it employs a risk assessment approach to enable risks from hazards to health and safety in dwellings to be minimised. The system applies to all dwellings, regardless of ownership.

The HHSRS addresses all the key issues that affect health and safety. It provides an analysis of just how hazardous a property is and includes evidence and statistical information to assist surveyors in making their judgements.

The key principle of the system is that a dwelling, including the structure and associated outbuildings and garden, yard and/or other amenity space, and means of access, should provide a safe and healthy environment for the occupants and any visitors.

The survey process considers the effect of any hazards in the property. Hazards are rated according to how serious they are and the effect they are having, or could have, on the occupants, ie ‘the effect of the defect’.

EHPs working in local authorities use the system to raise standards in the private sector by requiring owners to take action as necessary to remove or minimise hazards in their properties.

Guidance on the HHSRS

Guidance on the HHSRS has been produced by the Government as follows:

• Guidance for Landlords and Property Related Professionals (72 pp) - May 2006
• Operating Guidance - Housing Act 2004: Guidance about inspections and assessment of hazards given under Section 9 (185 pp) - Feb 2006
• Enforcement Guidance: Housing Act 2004 Part 1: Housing Conditions. (38 pp) Feb 2006

Landlords and agents can also access guidance produced by Asset Skills which is the Sector Skills Council for facilities management, housing, property, planning, cleaning and parking.

• HHSRS Guidance for Landlords and Agents

The CIEH has published guidance for private sector housing enforcement officers on the excess cold hazard.

• CIEH guidance on enforcement of excess cold hazards in England
  July 2011

National Energy Action and Impetus Consulting Ltd have produced guidance for local authorities on using the HHSRS to tackle fuel poverty

• Using the HHSRS to tackle fuel poverty – Toolkit for LAs May 2011

Data on housing conditions and enforcement activity

The main source of official data on housing conditions in England is the following publication:

• English Housing Survey - Housing Stock Report 2009
  Published: July 2011

Other data sources: 

• N. Ireland House Condition Survey
• Scottish House Condition Survey
• Living in Wales Survey
• Welsh House Condition Survey (NB. last report was in 1998)
• Are Private Sector Tenants Being Adequately Protected ?
  A study of the Housing Act 2004, Housing Health and Safety Rating System and Local Authority Interventions in England. Dr Stephen Battersby. June 2011.
• Housing Act 2004: Results of a CIEH survey on local authority regulatory activity
  CIEH. February 2008

Information sources on the cost of poor housing

• CIEH Good Housing Leads to Good Health Sept 2008
• BRE Bookshop (Priced publications)

            The real cost of poor housing.
            M Davidson, M Roys, S Nicol, D Ormandy and P Ambrose 
            ISBN 978-1-84806-115-6
            February 2010

            Quantifying the cost of poor housing. 
            S Nicol, M Roys, M Davidson, D Ormandy and P Ambrose
            ISBN. 978-1-84806-154-5
            September 2010