"A risk-based evaluation tool, used by local authorities to identify and protect from the potential risks and hazards to health and safety in dwellings, the HHSRS itself is not a standard, but guidance for landlords and property-related professionals"
- Nicholas Donnithorne - Rentokil Property Care
Ahead of the calling of a general election last month, the Renters Reform Bill was one of the most notable pieces of legislation working its way through Parliament.
Set to deliver monumental change to the way the private rental sector is regulated, the bill included dramatic shifts in the law regarding rental properties, such as abolishing fixed term and shorthold assured tenancies, as well as imposing further obligations on private landlords to maintain their properties to a minimum housing standard for the first time.
The bill did not make it through ‘wash up’ before Parliament was prorogued and cannot return in its current form. But, reforming the private rental sector is likely to be an important issue for the next government, so it is worthwhile for landlords to be prepared.
One way to prepare for potential future legislation is for landlords to ensure their properties achieve a good score when measured against the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which inspectors judge the living conditions of a property against. Achieving a positive score when rated against the HHSRS provides landlords with the peace of mind that regardless of any potential policy changes regarding private rental sector reform, their property is fit for purpose.
What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System?
The HHSRS outlines a series of criteria properties must meet, covering their state of repair, safety, security and comfort. The latest government consultation estimates that 79% of properties in the private rental sector already meet these standards, however, that leaves 21% of properties that don’t.
Investment in upgrades could be required should further regulation be introduced to make meeting these criteria enforceable, as was suggested under the proposed Renters Reform Bill. It’s therefore advisable for landlords to start addressing property care issues sooner rather than later, to get ahead of the compliance curve and ensure a positive rating from the HHSRS.
The HHSRS examines properties across 29 different hazards, mainly relating to the health and safety of occupants. A risk-based evaluation tool, used by local authorities to identify and protect from the potential risks and hazards to health and safety in dwellings, the HHSRS itself is not a standard, but guidance for landlords and property-related professionals.
The HHSRS is used to check properties are fit for human habitation from the start of the tenancy and throughout its duration. Ultimately, the HHSRS is the system that ensures landlords and their properties satisfy the basic and fundamental needs of the everyday life of a household.
The HHSRS, however, isn’t new, indeed, the private rental sector is already subject to inspection outlined in the HHSRS as part of the Housing Act 2004. So, landlords should already be ensuring that their property is fit for purpose across a number of key issue areas such as damp and mould growth, excess cold (below 18°C), excess heat (above 21°C), biocides, crowding, lighting and noise.
What can private landlords do to ensure a good rating?
When it comes to issues such as damp and mould it is important to not only clean the mould but also to address the damp that has caused it in the first place or it is likely to reappear quickly. Mould tends to flourish in places lacking ventilation and where dampness lingers for more than six hours, which allows spores to begin germinating. The most common cause is condensation, which occurs when warm moist air meets a cooler surface causing the moisture to condense out at what is known as 'dew point'.
It is estimated that over 839,000 homes suffer from damp problems in the UK, with excess moisture created by everyday activities such as cooking and cleaning.
The best way to improve the ventilation in a property is to fit a modern extractor fan in high moisture-producing rooms (i.e. kitchens and bathrooms), and use the trickle vents on windows or keep a quarter light open for background ventilation. Other steps for landlords to consider include fixing leaky pipework, and insulating walls, windows, and pipes.
For further peace of mind, Positive InputVentilation Systems (PIVs) push fresh air throughout a property removing warm, stagnant air to leave a fresh clean environment for tenants to live in while combatting the conditions that promote damp and mould growth.
Acting now and getting ahead of the compliance curve will provide landlords with the confidence that their properties will be compliant should future legislation come into force for the private rental sector.
