Housing Health and Safety Rating System
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the risk-based assessment tool that local housing authorities in England use to identify and score health and safety hazards in residential property. It was introduced under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 and has operated since April 2006. Rather than applying a single pass or fail standard, it scores each hazard by combining the likelihood of harm with its severity, as gov.uk guidance for landlords sets out.
From working with self-managing landlords across the UK, we find HHSRS is one of the least understood frameworks in the private rented sector. Most landlords meet it for the first time only after a tenant has complained to the council, by which point an inspection is often already under way.
What changed in the HHSRS in June 2026
The HHSRS was reformed by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, which came into force on 23 June 2026 and apply to inspections that start on or after 22 June 2026. Any inspection already under way before that date is assessed under the old rules. The reform reduced the prescribed hazards from 29 to 21, replaced the ten letter bands (A to J) with three plain bands (High, Medium and Low), renamed the four classes of harm as Extreme, Severe, Serious and Moderate, and broadened the fire hazard. The duty on landlords did not change. The aim was a system that is easier to understand, not a higher standard.
The 21 HHSRS hazards
Since June 2026 the HHSRS assesses 21 hazard types, grouped under four headings in the operating guidance.
Protection against accidents covers falls on the level, falls on stairs, falls between levels, fire and explosions, flames and hot surfaces, collisions, entrapment and ergonomics, structural collapse and falling elements, and electrical hazards.
Physiological requirements cover excess cold, excess heat, damp and mould growth, radiation, lead, asbestos, and indoor air pollutants, a new combined category that includes carbon monoxide and other fuel combustion products.
Protection against infection covers domestic hygiene and water supply.
Psychological requirements cover crowding and space, entry by intruders, noise, and lighting.
The drop from 29 hazards came mainly from merging overlapping descriptions, for example folding explosions into an expanded fire hazard. Excess cold, and damp and mould growth, remain among the most common serious hazards found in private rented homes.
Category 1 and Category 2 hazards
The HHSRS scores each hazard and places it in one of three bands. A score of 1,000 or more is High, a score from 100 to 999 is Medium, and a score under 100 is Low. The line between Category 1 and Category 2 has not moved: a High hazard is a Category 1 hazard, where the local authority has a legal duty to act, while Medium and Low hazards are Category 2, where the council has the power to act but is not obliged to. These three bands replaced the former A to J letter bands in June 2026.
What happens during an HHSRS inspection
An inspection is carried out by an environmental health officer, usually after a tenant complaint or as part of a proactive survey. The officer makes two judgements for each hazard: how likely the hazard is to cause harm to the most vulnerable likely occupant within the next 12 months, and how serious the range of probable harm would be. The two judgements combine into a hazard score, which sets the band and therefore the category.
The assessment covers the structure and fabric of the building, outbuildings and access, as well as internal conditions. Hazards caused entirely by how an occupant behaves, rather than by a deficiency in the property itself, fall outside its scope.
Landlords using August consistently tell us that a timestamped record of maintenance requests, reported defects and remediation steps is the most effective way to show they responded appropriately before an inspection. August's maintenance reporting builds exactly that contemporaneous evidence trail, and the compliance checklist helps you stay ahead of the hazards a council would look for.
Enforcement and penalties
A Category 1 finding usually leads to an improvement notice, which sets out the required works and a completion date. Since 22 June 2026, a council can also impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000 in respect of a Category 1 hazard, a power introduced by the Renters' Rights Act 2025. More serious cases can bring emergency remedial action, where the council carries out urgent works and recharges the cost, a prohibition order restricting use of the property, or prosecution. Where a landlord fails to comply with an improvement notice, the maximum civil penalty rose from £30,000 to £40,000 on 1 May 2026, and a tenant or council can seek a rent repayment order of up to 24 months' rent.
HHSRS, the Renters' Rights Act and the Decent Homes Standard
From 1 May 2026 the Renters' Rights Act extends the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, with enforcement expected from 2035. HHSRS remains the primary hazard test within the standard: a home fails the first criterion if it contains a Category 1 hazard. The reformed standard also adds a separate criterion requiring homes to be free of damp and mould, set at a lower threshold than the Category 1 boundary, with the detailed methodology to follow in statutory guidance.
Awaab's Law, which set mandatory investigation and repair timescales for damp and mould in social housing from October 2025, is expected to extend to the private rented sector after consultation. For what landlords must do when a property has damp or mould under the coming timelines, see our guide to preventing damp and mould under Awaab's Law.
Frequently asked questions
Does HHSRS apply to all rental properties in England?
Yes. HHSRS applies to all residential property in England, including private rented homes, social housing, HMOs and owner-occupied homes. In practice most formal inspections take place in the private rented sector, which the House of Commons Library notes has the highest share of substandard stock. A council has a duty to keep housing conditions in its area under review and to inspect where a serious hazard is suspected.
Can a landlord be fined as a result of an HHSRS inspection?
Yes. Where a council identifies a Category 1 hazard it can impose a civil penalty of up to £7,000, a power in force since 22 June 2026. If a landlord then fails to comply with an improvement notice, the maximum civil penalty is £40,000, raised from £30,000 on 1 May 2026, and the council may instead carry out the works and recharge the cost, or prosecute. A tenant or council can also apply for a rent repayment order of up to 24 months' rent, and the breach can be recorded on the Private Rented Sector Database.
What is the difference between HHSRS and the Decent Homes Standard?
HHSRS is the tool a council uses to score individual hazards. The Decent Homes Standard is a broader, five-criterion standard that uses HHSRS as its primary hazard test: a home cannot be decent if it contains a Category 1 hazard. The standard also covers a reasonable state of repair, facilities and services, thermal comfort, and freedom from damp and mould.
How long does a landlord have to fix a Category 1 hazard?
An improvement notice must give a start date no earlier than 28 days after it is served, with a completion date that allows reasonable time for the works. Where there is an imminent risk of serious harm, the council can take emergency remedial action and begin work straight away, recovering the cost from the landlord afterwards.
