The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS): explained

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the legal framework that councils use to assess hazards in residential properties. Understanding how it works can help you understand why a council inspector categorises a problem the way they do, what powers the council has as a result, and how an HHSRS assessment can support a disrepair claim. Below, we explain how the system works.

Key facts

• The 2024 to 2025 English Housing Survey found about 15% of homes in England, around 4.0 million, did not meet the Decent Homes Standard. In the private rented sector the figure was 22%. English Housing Survey 2024-25, GOV.UK
• The 2024 to 2025 English Housing Survey found about 5% of homes in England, around 1.4 million, had a problem with damp, most common in privately rented homes (10%). English Housing Survey 2024-25, GOV.UK

What is the HHSRS?

The HHSRS is a risk-based system introduced under the Housing Act 2004. It replaced the older housing fitness standard. It is used by local authority environmental health officers when they inspect a property, either in response to a tenant's complaint or as part of a proactive inspection programme.

The system covers 29 categories of hazard, ranging from excess cold and damp to electrical hazards, falls, structural collapse, and personal hygiene. For each hazard, the officer assesses both the likelihood of harm occurring and the range of probable outcomes if harm does occur. Together these produce a numerical score.

Category 1 and Category 2 hazards

Based on the score, hazards are classified as:

Category 1: The most serious hazards, where the risk to the health or safety of an occupant is considered serious. Examples include excess cold, significant damp and mould, severe electrical hazards, and major structural problems.

Category 2: Less serious hazards where there is still a risk, but it is assessed as lower.

The distinction matters because the council's powers and duties differ depending on the category:

• For Category 1 hazards, the council has a duty to take action. It cannot simply decide not to act.
• For Category 2 hazards, the council has a power to act, but is not obliged to.

What action can the council take?

Where a Category 1 hazard is found, the council's main options include:

Improvement notice: A formal notice requiring the landlord to carry out specific repairs or improvements within a set timeframe. The landlord must comply or appeal. Failure to comply is a criminal offence.

Prohibition order: Restricts or prohibits the use of part or all of a property, for example, prohibiting use of a bedroom found to be in a dangerous condition.

Hazard awareness notice: A notice that formally records the hazard but does not require action. Used for less severe cases or where other action is more appropriate.

Emergency remedial action: Where there is an imminent danger to the occupant, the council can arrange for urgent work to be carried out and recover the cost from the landlord.

Emergency prohibition order: An immediate prohibition on use of the property or part of it where the risk is immediate.

Common Category 1 hazards relevant to tenants

• Excess cold: A property where the heating system is inadequate or defective, or where the fabric of the building is so poor that the home cannot be heated to a safe temperature. This is one of the most commonly identified Category 1 hazards in the private rented sector.

• Damp and mould growth: Where conditions allow damp or mould growth of a type and extent that poses a risk to health, particularly for the vulnerable, the elderly, children, and those with respiratory conditions.

• Electrical hazards: Defective wiring, overloaded circuits, or faulty fittings.

• Falls associated with stairs: Defective stair handrails, steep or worn stairs.

• Structural collapse: Where significant structural movement creates a risk.

How does an HHSRS assessment help with a disrepair claim?

An HHSRS inspection is not the same as a disrepair claim, but the two can work together. If a council has found a Category 1 hazard in your home, this is powerful evidence that:

• The condition of the property poses a risk to health
• The hazard is serious enough to require professional intervention
• The council has a duty to require the landlord to act

This evidence can support a disrepair compensation claim. The fact that a council inspector found a Category 1 hazard in your home, and that the landlord was on notice of the problem, is directly relevant to both liability and the level of any compensation.

How to request an HHSRS inspection

Contact your local council's environmental health team and ask for an inspection under the HHSRS. They will usually ask for details of the hazard you are concerned about. See our full guide: /help-centre/how-to-request-an-hhsrs-inspection.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

If your home has conditions that may amount to a housing hazard, damp, cold, mould, or structural problems, and your landlord has not acted, call us on 0800 030 4669.

No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Housing Health and Safety Rating System Regulations 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Housing Act 2004 (legislation.gov.uk)

Related articles

• How to request an HHSRS inspection
• Prohibition order, what happens to your tenancy?