CIH welcomes updates to The Housing Health and Safety Rating System

CIH welcomes the news that The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is getting its first significant update since the Housing Act 2004, with the changes coming into force in less than two weeks. 

The new regulations were laid before Parliament on 1 June, and new statutory guidance, covering both operational and enforcement matters, will be implemented alongside them on 23 June. Previous guidance will be withdrawn.  

It’s important to note that this is not a new standard for housing providers to have to meet. The update modernises how housing assessments work by making them more intuitive and accessible for assessors and easier to understand for both landlords and tenants.  

Key changes to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System include:

• The number of possible hazards in a home have been reduced from 29 to 21 through amalgamation, helping to simplify assessments and enhance HHSRS inspections
• The way in which a hazard is calculated has been simplified, with Bands A–J now replaced by a simpler three-band system: low, medium and high
• New baseline indicators to help landlords and tenants understand where their property may need improvement
• Harm outcome classes I–IV are to be renamed extreme, severe, serious and moderate
• The definition of a ‘prescribed fire hazard’ has been broadened to include fumes, explosions, and fire- or explosion-related building collapse, in addition to the previously defined fire and smoke. 

To help our members understand what changes for them in practice following the implementation of the updates, CIH will be publishing a What You Need to Know briefing shortly.  

Commenting on the planned updates to the HHSRS, Eve Blezard, policy lead for repairs and assessment at the Chartered Institute of Housing, said: “The HHSRS is a key framework that underpins how we assess and act on hazards in people's homes, so getting it right matters. These updates make the system more accessible and easier to apply, which should lead to clearer conversations among assessors, landlords and tenants about what needs to change and why. 

"The shift to plain-language banding is particularly welcome. When hazard scores are easier to understand, it is easier to make the case for action and that benefits residents.” 

The new statutory guidance is available to read in full on the government’s website here.