Guidance Notes for Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Each year, on average, poor housing conditions are implicated in up to 50,000 deaths and around 0.5 million illnesses. To combat this on the 6th April 2006, The Housing Act 2004 implements the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), to replace the old fitness standard with a risk assessment method. Asset Skills, the sector skills council for the places in which we live and work, has combined with the professional bodies, trade associations and landlords’ groups to produce for their members free practical guidance to this entirely new system for assessing housing conditions in England and Wales.

The guidance has been produced in co-operation with, and with the agreement of, the ODPM.