HHSRS Ultimate Guide

The safety and wellbeing of residents is the cornerstone of responsible property management. Whether you're a landlord or a professional in the housing sector, understanding The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is vital for ensuring homes are safe and healthy. 

This guide is based on the Housing Act 2004, which is fully up to date for 2025, and will walk you through the core principles of the HHSRS, explain who's responsible for upholding these standards, and detail the inspection process. You'll also learn about the penalties for non-compliance and get an overview of the 29 potential hazards that could exist in a property, from damp and mould to structural collapse.

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What is HHSRS?

The HHSRS was introduced by the Housing Act 2004 and is the main way of assessing and enforcing housing standards. It is a risk-based assessment tool which is used by environmental health officers to assess the risk of a hazard in residential housing to the health and safety of occupants or visitors. 

It can be used within private, social rented, and occupied housing. 

Who is responsible for upholding the HHSRS?

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is used to check a dwelling itself, not the current occupants. This means a hazard score stays with the home, even if the occupants change, until the necessary work is done. 

The HHSRS focuses on what the owner or landlord is responsible for fixing. This includes the structure of the home and any fixtures that belong to the landlord and aren't removable. The HHSRS does not hold the landlord responsible for a tenant's own belongings. While a tenant's actions could contribute to a hazard, the owner is still required to address deficiencies that are within their control.

 

How is an HHSRS inspection carried out?

A tenant can contact their local authority asking them to carry out an inspection. A local authority officer looks around the property for anything that could cause potential risk to its tenants. They give each hazard they identify a score based on the likelihood and potential severity of harm posed. 

The officer will consider:

  • The chance of harm over the next 12 months. 
  • How serious that harm would be. 
  • Any extra risk to children or old people.

Each hazard score will fall into a band from A to J. Hazards which fall into bands A to C are determined to be Category 1 hazards. Lower bands are Category 2 and not as serious. Local authorities must take action on Category 1 hazards.

 

What happens if a home includes Category 1 hazards?

Local authorities have a legal duty to take action where Category 1 hazards are present. They will most likely issue an improvement notice, which sets out the following:

  • The hazards that require addressing. 
  • Details of which works must be undertaken to fix them. 
  • A strict time frame for when the works are to be carried out.

What are the penalties for failing to deal with a Category 1 hazard?

Landlords and homeowners who fail to comply can face criminal prosecution. Alternatively, the council could serve them with a civil penalty of up to £30,000 per offence under the Housing Act 2004. 

Multiple offences can lead to large fines. In 2017, one landlord was fined a total of £190,500 for letting rooms without windows or access to natural or artificial light, which breached hazards 11 and 13. Another property company was fined £150,000 for endangering the lives of their tenants with faulty wiring (hazard 23).

 

What happens if a home includes Category 2 hazards?

For Category 2 hazards, the council can issue either an improvement notice or a hazard awareness notice, which identifies the hazards and how to fix them but does not provide a mandatory timeline. 

Being served with either notice can impact a property manager’s ability to serve a Section 21 notice. However, following the implementation of the Renters’ Rights Bill, this will change. 

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The difference between Category 1 and Category 2 hazards.

 

1. Damp and mould growth

Dust mites and the presence of mould or fungus can lead to a range of health threats commonly associated with damp, humid and mouldy conditions. Issues include the triggering of various allergies, asthma and the effects of mould and fungal infection toxins. 

2. Excess cold

Cold temperatures indoors can be just as damaging as cold temperatures outdoors. A healthy indoor temperature is 18-21 degrees celsius. Respiratory conditions such as flu, pneumonia and bronchitis can be caused or aggravated by cold temperatures, and they can also increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions like strokes and heart attacks. 

4. Asbestos and MMF

Asbestos and Manufactured Mineral Fibres, which were formerly used to insulate buildings, are notorious factors in the development of respiratory problems. Asbestos can cause significant damage to lungs, including lung cancer, while MMF can cause damage to skin, eyes and lungs. 

5. Biocides

Some chemicals which are used to treat timber and mould growth can cause significant issues to building occupants’ health. There is a risk from breathing the chemicals in, any
contact they might have with bare skin and swallowing of the chemical. 

6. Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products

Faulty boilers, among other things, can lead to excess levels of carbon monoxide in a property along with nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and smoke. Excess amounts of the above gases can cause dizziness, nausea, headaches, disorientation, unconsciousness, breathing problems and death. 

7. Lead

Lead ingestion from paint, water pipes, soil and leaded petrol fumes can cause lead poisoning. Lead poisoning can cause nervous disorders, mental health issues, infertility, blood production issues and death. 

8. Radiation

Radon gas, which comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, can enter a home through a basement or cellar floor in an airborne state, but also dissolved in water. Exposure to radon daughters has been linked to the development of lung cancer. 

9. Uncombusted fuel gas

Fuel gas escaping into the atmosphere within a property displaces the oxygen in the air and makes it difficult to breathe. It can lead to suffocation, unconsciousness, brain damage and death. 

10. Volatile organic compounds

A diverse group of organic chemicals, including formaldehyde, that are gaseous at room temperature and can be found in a wide variety of materials in the home, can present a health threat. Health issues they cause include aggravation of allergies, irritation to the eyes, nose and skin, headaches, nausea, dizziness and drowsiness. 

11. Crowding and space

There are many hazards associated with the lack of space needed for normal living, sleeping and general household life. A lack of space can cause psychological distress and mental disorders in addition to increased risk of hygiene issues, accidents and personal space and compromised privacy. 

12. Entry by intruders

A property must be kept secure against unauthorised entry in terms of entry and exit points. Associated hazards here include fear of burglary occurring, stress and anguish caused by burglary and any injuries caused by an intruder. 

13. Lighting

Inadequate natural or artificial light can cause physical and psychological harm. Physical issues include eye strain; mental problems can include depression due to a lack of natural light. 

14. Noise

Exposure to noise within the property can cause physical and psychological damage. Issues include problems resulting from a lack of sleep, poor concentration, headaches and general anxiety. 

15. Domestic hygiene, pests and refuse

Health hazards here relate to poor design and layout which make it hard to keep a property clean and hygienic, therefore attracting pests, and inadequate and unhygienic provision for storing household waste. Potential health issues include stomach and intestinal disease, infection, asthma, allergies, disease from rats and physical hazards. 

16. Food safety

Poor facilities provided for the storing, preparation and cooking of food can cause significant hygiene issues. Health problems stemming from inadequate food safety include stomach and intestinal disease, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach upset and dehydration. 

17. Sanitation and drainage problems

Poor facilities to promote personal hygiene, including personal and clotheswashing facilities, sanitation and drainage, can increase danger of infections and be a threat to mental health. Specific problems can include stomach and intestinal disease, skin infection and depression. 

18. Water supply

Water contamination by bacteria, parasites, viruses and chemical pollutants causes a significant risk to health when the water is used for drinking, cooking, washing and sanitation. Threats posed include dehydration, fatigue, headaches, dry skin, bladder infections, cholera and Legionnaires’ Disease. 

19. Falls associated with baths

Falls associated with a bath, shower or similar facility can cause a range of physical injuries. Some injuries include cuts, lacerations, swellings and bruising. 

20. Falls on level surfaces

Falls on any level surface denote falls indoors, in gardens and on paths, including falls associated with trip steps, thresholds or ramps where the change in level is less than 300mm. Some injuries include bruising, fractures, head, brain and spinal injuries. 

21. Falls associated with stairs and ramps

Falls associated with stairs and ramps denote falls where the change in level is greater than 300mm. They include internal stairs or ramps within a property, external steps or ramps associated with the property, access to the property and to shared facilities or means of escape from fire, and falls over stairs, ramp or step guarding. Some injuries include bruising, fractures, head, brain and spinal injuries. 

22. Falls between levels

Falls between levels denote falls from one level to another, inside or outside a dwelling where the difference is more than 300mm. They include falls from balconies, landings or out of windows. Some injuries include bruising, fractures, head, brain injuries, spinal injuries and death. 

23. Electrical hazards

There are many electrical hazards associated with faulty equipment or exposed wiring. Injuries include electric shocks, burns and potentially death in the case of strong currents or prolonged exposure. 

24. Fire

Uncontrolled fire and associated smoke present various threats to health, including injuries from clothing or hair catching fire. Some injuries include smoke inhalation, burns and death. 

25. Flames, hot surfaces and materials

Injuries caused by contact with a hot flame or fire, hot objects and non-water based liquids are common. Scalds are caused by contact with hot liquids and vapours. Injuries include burns, scalds, permanent scarring and death. 

26. Collision and entrapment

There is a risk of physical injury from trapping body parts in architectural features. For example, trapping fingers in doors and windows and colliding with architectural features such as low ceilings. This can result in physical injuries such as cuts and bruising to the body. 

27. Explosions

There is a physical injury risk from the blast of an explosion, from debris generated by the blast and from partial or total collapse of a building as a result of the explosion. Health hazards include physical injuries, crushing, bruising, puncture, fractures, brain injuries, spinal injuries and death. 

28. Poor Ergonomics

There is a risk of physical strain associated with functional space and other features at the dwelling. Injuries include strains and sprains. 

29. Structural collapse and falling elements

Inadequate fixing, disrepair or adverse weather conditions can lead to the threat of the dwelling collapsing or part of the fabric being displaced or falling. Health threats include various physical injuries and death. 

How to identify HHSRS hazards

Hazards in a home are caused by flaws or problems in the dwelling that could lead to harm. 

To identify and test for these hazards, you need to understand two key things:

  • The essential physical and mental needs for human life and comfort. 
  • How the dwelling as a whole, and each part of it, can affect those needs.

Essentially, a home should meet the basic daily needs of the types of households expected to live there. It shouldn't have any flaws that create a hazard, which could threaten the health, safety, or lives of its occupants. 

To determine if a flaw is linked to one or more hazards, you need:

  • An understanding of how each part of the home functions. 
  • The ability to assess or test if that flaw will cause a hazard.

 

How are hazards caused?

A deficiency can come from how a home was originally designed or built, from normal wear and tear, or from a lack of proper maintenance. A deficiency becomes a hazard when it has the potential to cause harm. 

One single deficiency can contribute to multiple hazards. For example, a poorly maintained ceiling could lead to several different problems, such as:

  • Excess cold, because of increased heat loss. 
  • Fire, by allowing fire and smoke to spread. 
  • Exposure to lead, from old paint. 
  • Pest infestations, which create unsanitary conditions. 
  • Increased noise between rooms.

However, multiple deficiencies can contribute to a single hazard. For instance, a fire hazard could be caused by a combination of:

  • A badly maintained ceiling. 
  • A door that doesn't fit properly. 
  • The absence of a smoke detector.

Similar deficiencies in different areas of the home can increase the severity of a single hazard. If there is damp and mould in multiple rooms, the overall hazard of damp and mould growth becomes much more severe. Problems with different sets of stairs, such as those at the entrance, inside the home, or at the back, are all assessed together to determine the overall hazard of falls.

 

What will change in the HHSRS?

On 7 September 2023, the government announced reforms to the HHSRS following a review completed in 2022. It pledged to make the following changes: 

  • Reduce the total number of hazards assessed from 29 to 21. 
  • Improve the clarity of the assessment process using colour coding and new descriptor terms (from "extreme" to "moderate"). 
  • Publish baselines to allow an initial assessment of whether a property contains serious hazards. 
  • Publish new statutory operating and enforcement guidance, a comprehensive set of new case studies, and specific tailored guidance for all stakeholders.  

These changes will need to be brought in via new legislation, which will be introduced once the Government has concluded its review of the Decent Homes Standard, part two of which began in Spring 2022. The next update promised by the Government should include details of proposals in a public consultation.

 

How effective is the HHSRS in practice?

A review of the HHSRS was published in 2015 by the Coalition Government. However, HHSRS changes were rejected and the Government produced a layperson’s guide to health and safety hazards. This was replaced in June 2018 by How to rent a safe home. Following this, measures were included in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to strengthen the action that can be taken to deal with landlords that fail to tackle poor housing conditions. 

More reviews proceeded to take place, which eventually concluded there were grounds to update the guidance. In June 2018, the Government said they would consider updating the guidance but rejected the introduction of quality standards.

 

Final thoughts

The HHSRS has been an important tool for local authorities to ensure residential properties are safe and healthy. From preventing falls on stairs to mitigating the dangers of carbon monoxide, the HHSRS has provided a structured way to identify and address issues that could pose a serious risk to tenants' wellbeing. By understanding the system, its categories of hazards, and the enforcement actions available, all stakeholders can work together to create safer living environments. 

Want to know how Fixflo can help keep you compliant? Get your quote today! 

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