New safety standards must be introduced as a matter of urgency
The Government must implement recommendations from its Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) review immediately if it is to raise standards in the PRS and social rented sector.
The NRLA said it is vital there is a comprehensive and comprehensible set of standards is in place ahead of the introudction of new Renters' Rights legislation, expected to be brought in next year.
Commissioned by the previous government to examine the UK’s Housing, Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS), RHE Global concluded the 2-year review in 2022, as reported by the NRLA. This follows the previous Government’s publication of a policy paper explaining the outcomes and next steps in September 2023.
In the paper it pledges to act on the findings of the review, specifically committing to:
- Combine some of the hazards to make the system easier to enforce and understand.
- Publish baselines that can be used to make an initial assessment of whether a property contains serious hazards.
- Issue new statutory operating and enforcement guidance, along with a comprehensive set of new case studies.
- Release updated landlord and new tenant guidance, which will make the system more accessible, and can help guide self-assessments by landlords as to whether their properties contain serious hazards.
- The publication of specific guidance to support inspections of fire and explosion hazards, and associated minimum standards.
Drawing on insights gleaned from extensive research and stakeholder engagement, the review, which took place over the course of more than two years, provides a comprehensive assessment of how councils should equip themselves to uphold standards in future.
With the Government now pledging to extend the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) to include private rental properties, it is crucial that the new regulations required to update the HHSRS be introduced as soon as possible.
The NRLA believes this work can provide a baseline for local authority enforcement officers to hold rogue and criminal landlords to account in future.
Previous NRLA research noted a critical lack of consistency with respect to the enforcement of standards in different regions across the UK. The NRLA believes that, once implemented, RHE’s recommendations can play a major role in resolving this issue moving forward.
Ben Beadle, Chief Executive at the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “The NRLA supports the efforts to drive up standards across all rental housing, but it is crucial that the Government base its next steps on good quality evidence, and professional experience.
“The ambitions outlined in the Renters’ Rights Bill require a comprehensive and comprehensible set of standards. Implementing the findings of the HHSRS review would provide the basis for this and help to identify and deal with instances of non-decency within both the private and social rented sectors.
"It is essential that the effort and insight which contributed to the review is not wasted by allowing the findings to languish in a Whitehall filing cabinet.”
In response, Alan Davies, Director of Housing at RHE, said: “RHE Global is pleased to have been commissioned by the previous government to deliver the HHSRS Review. The recommendations proposed by the review are underpinned by extensive research and sector-wide stakeholder engagement.
"We believe these updates will make the system more efficient for local authorities and easier for landlords to navigate. By introducing clearer guidance, landlords will benefit from a more straightforward system, enabling them to better manage their properties.
"We look forward to hearing more about the Government's proposed next steps in due course.”