HHSRS ExplainedThe Housing Health & Safety Rating System for UK Landlords (2026)

HHSRS, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, is the risk assessment councils in England use to judge hazards in a home, including damp and mould. It applies to private landlords as well as social housing, because it covers every home, rented or owned. Since June 2026 it assesses 21 hazards, down from 29.

What Is HHSRS?

HHSRS stands for the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. It is the risk-based assessment local authorities use to judge the condition of homes under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004. It replaced the old "fitness standard" in April 2006: rather than asking whether a home is fit, it asks how likely a hazard is to cause harm over the next 12 months and how serious that harm would be.

In June 2026 the government updated it. Several hazards were merged, taking the list from 29 to 21, scores are now grouped into three bands (High, Medium and Low), and new HHSRS operating guidance on GOV.UK replaced the 2006 version. Councils must have regard to that guidance when they assess a home.

Does HHSRS Apply to Private Landlords?

Yes. HHSRS covers every home, whoever owns it. The GOV.UK landlord and agent guide to HHSRS describes it as a tool for assessing risks to people in their own home, whether rented or owned.

In practice, councils use it most in private rented homes, usually after a tenant complaint, because that is where environmental health teams can serve notices and issue penalties against a landlord. Social landlords are assessed under the same system, with Awaab's Law timescales on top for damp and mould.

Is HHSRS a Legal Requirement?

HHSRS is set out in law under the Housing Act 2004, and the duty it creates sits with the council: it must take action on a Category 1 hazard and may act on a Category 2 hazard. It isn't a certificate a landlord books each year; it's the assessment a council carries out, usually after a complaint. What matters for a landlord is that a council can enforce against a home with a serious hazard in it.

For your own legal position, use GOV.UK, starting with a landlord's safety responsibilities.

Recognise this in your own property? Book a survey or call 07453 527 205.

The HHSRS Hazards: 29 Became 21 in June 2026

21 HAZARDS

Older guides list 29 hazards with damp and mould as number 1. In June 2026 several were merged: falls on level surfaces and falls associated with baths became one hazard, as did fire and explosions; carbon monoxide, uncombusted fuel gas, biocides and volatile organic compounds were combined; and food safety, domestic hygiene and personal hygiene were combined. The current list, in the order the operating guidance gives it, is:

Damp and Mould Growth (Hazard 11)

This hazard covers dampness and high humidity in a home and the mould growth that comes with it. The assessor looks at where the damp is, how far it has spread and what is causing it, from rising damp to poor ventilation. Where it is matters: the operating guidance notes that damp and mould found only in a bathroom raises the score less than the same problem in a bedroom or living room. For any question about health, use the NHS.

Category 1 vs Category 2 Hazards

CAT 1 vs CAT 2

Each hazard is scored on how likely harm is over the next 12 months and how bad it would be, across four levels from extreme to moderate. The final score puts the hazard in a band: Low (below 100), Medium (100 to 999) or High (1,000 or more).

Enforcement: What Local Authorities Can Do

POWERS

When environmental health identifies a hazard, the toolkit available is wide and the financial consequences for landlords can be severe.

• Improvement Notice: formal notice requiring works within a defined timescale
• Prohibition Order: restricts use of part or all of the property until remedied
• Hazard Awareness Notice: formal record of a hazard, used to show the landlord was on notice
• Emergency Remedial Action: the local authority carries out the work and recharges the landlord
• Civil penalties
• Rent Repayment Orders, with rent returned to the tenant
• Banning Orders: the landlord is prohibited from letting property
• Unlimited fines through the courts for the most serious offences

How Long Does a Landlord Have to Fix an HHSRS Hazard?

There is no single fixed deadline under HHSRS itself; it depends on what enforcement action the local authority takes. Where an Improvement Notice is served, the Housing Act 2004 sets a statutory minimum: remedial work cannot be required to start any earlier than 28 days after the notice is served (21 days if the notice was previously suspended). The notice itself then specifies the period allowed to complete the work, which the local authority sets based on the severity of the hazard.

That 28-day minimum is a general HHSRS rule and applies case by case. It is not the same as the fixed working-day windows introduced by Awaab's Law, which currently apply specifically to damp and mould hazards in social housing (see below).

HHSRS and Awaab's Law

Awaab's Law (in force October 2025 for social housing in England) does not replace HHSRS; it sits on top of it. HHSRS gives local authorities the framework to identify a hazard; Awaab's Law sets the response timescales.

Practically, this means a damp and mould complaint to a social landlord must now be investigated within 10 working days, with emergency hazards investigated and made safe within 24 hours, and safety work on non-emergency (significant) hazards completed within 5 working days of the investigation. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives government the power to extend equivalent obligations to private landlords, and GOV.UK says it will consult on how to apply Awaab's Law to private rented housing. Read more in our guide to Awaab's Law for Lincolnshire landlords.

How HHSRS Inspections Work

Statutory HHSRS inspections are carried out by local authority environmental health officers, usually triggered by a tenant complaint, a council housing survey, or a referral from another agency. Independent surveyors (such as ourselves) carry out privately commissioned HHSRS-compliant inspections for landlords who want documented evidence ahead of any enforcement.

This is exactly what our own HHSRS-compliant damp and mould survey sets out to produce: a written report, HHSRS-rated, with the evidence and the action plan in one place.

How We Can Help

We provide independent HHSRS-compliant damp & mould surveys for landlords, letting agents and housing associations across Lincoln, Lincolnshire, Gainsborough, Newark, Sleaford and Grantham. Each report rates the hazards it finds on the HHSRS scale, photographs and documents the evidence, and sets out a prioritised remediation plan.

For routine monitoring, our Mould Report from £100+VAT is the most cost-effective starting point. For a full written survey with an HHSRS hazard rating, choose the Full Damp and Mould Survey from £250+VAT.

Putting HHSRS Into Practice

Damp and mould is under particular scrutiny in 2026, especially under the Awaab's Law timeframes that took effect in October 2025. Social landlords and housing associations are already working to the statutory 10-working-day investigation window, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 gives government the power to extend the same regime to private rented homes, though that extension is not yet in force. If you're a private landlord in Lincolnshire, an HHSRS-compliant baseline survey is a simple, low-cost way to document a property's condition before anyone else assesses it.