Housing condition assessment process to be updated

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Housing Health &
Safety:

According to the recently published English Housing Survey, the private rented sector had the highest proportion
of non-decent homes. In this 2017-18 survey, 25% of homes in the private rented
sector were non-decent according to the Decent Homes Standard. This is compares
with 19% of owner occupied homes, and 13% of socially rented homes.

Using the Housing
Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), 14% of privately rented homes have at
least one Category 1 hazard, compared with 11% of owner occupied homes, and 6%
of those in the social rented sector.

However, it has long been suggested that the HHSRS system
for assessing condition is complex and needs updating and improving. So, the Government
has eventually got around to announcing that an overhaul of the system will
begin this year.

The current system is used by local authorities to assess a
range of potential hazards in rented properties: damp, excess cold and
electrical faults as well as potential fire and fall / trip hazards. Accommodation
throughout England is assessed against 29 of these identifiable hazards.

Following criticism over many years that the system is too complicated
and inefficient to give consistent results, a consultation took place in
February of this year to consider options to update and simplify the process.

Recommendations following the consultation resulted in Housing
Minister, Heather Wheeler MP moving forward to “improve, clarify and modernise
HHSRS�, to address whether any of the 29 hazards can be removed or combined. The
Government will also improve the guidance given to local authorities, landlords
and tenants.

Heather Wheeler has stated that the intention is to make the
process simpler to understand by all parties concerned, and to be quicker for
local authorities to assess health and safety standards in rented homes.

The aim is to help the authorities to improve conditions for
tenants and better tackle rogue landlords. Wheeler has committed to directly
addressing what experts in the field have said: that the system should be
simplified, that minimum standards for common health and safety hazards should
be developed and that digital solutions for inspecting rented houses and flats
should be explored.

In summary, the review the Government intends to:

• Review, simplify and improve the processes and
  update the current HHSRS guidance.
• Develop a comprehensive set of Worked Examples clearly
  explaining the range of hazards to illustrate the application of standards to a
  range of risks.
• Review the current assessor training methods and
  the needs of assessors and other interested parties.
• Identify a simple of banding together the
  results of HHSRS assessments to make them much easier understand for
  non-specialists.

The review will investigate the use of digital technology to
speed up the process of assessment and improve understanding and consistency of
results for all concerned.

Guides will be produced to help both the professionals and landlords
/ tenants.

It is expected that new system will be implemented later in
2019 when Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 will be amended.

See – Housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS): guidance for landlords and property-related professionals here

See – Reviewing the HHSRS here

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