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What is Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)?
Last verified 23 October 2026
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the risk based method councils in England use to assess hazards to health and safety in homes, whether rented or owned. It weighs how likely a hazard is to cause harm and how serious that harm could be, and produces a score.
Why it matters to landlords
The current system uses 21 hazards, down from 29, after some were merged, for example several types of fall became 'falls on the level'. Hazards scoring 1,000 or more are Category 1, and the council must take action. Lower scores are Category 2, where the council can decide whether to act. Damp and mould, excess cold, fire and electrical hazards are among those landlords meet most often.
Enforcement ranges from a hazard awareness notice, which is advisory, to an improvement notice, a prohibition order or emergency remedial action. Appeals go to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). Failing to comply with an improvement notice is an offence that can lead to a civil penalty or a rent repayment order. Wales has its own HHSRS regulations.
Example
A tenant reports a broken handrail on a steep staircase. A council officer inspects, scores the risk of falls as a Category 1 hazard and serves an improvement notice telling the landlord to replace the handrail within a set time.
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