The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), introduced by the Housing Act 2004, had remained unchanged since 2006. Concerns grew that while the HHSRS was well-supported in principle, it had become overly complex, difficult to apply consistently and lacked clarity for landlords, tenants and enforcement authorities. 

In response to growing calls for reform from sector-wide stakeholders and government and professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, evidenced by various housing sector reports, the Government commissioned RHE Global to undertake a full technical review. Building on our earlier Scoping Review (2019), this review was tasked with:

• Simplifying and modernising the HHSRS to reflect evolving regulatory frameworks, including fire and building safety reforms

• Making the system more accessible for landlords and tenants while supporting more consistent and effective enforcement by local authorities

• Developing baseline indicators (minimum standards) to better define expectations across the rental sector

• Investigating the potential for digital assessment tools to enhance consistency and efficiency

• Ensuring that fire safety reforms align with key drivers, such as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

The project required extensive research and stakeholder engagement, applying technical analysis and giving clear evidence-based recommendations for change.

Project delivery

The HHSRS Review was implemented across the following 10 outputs:

• Reviewed and updated HHSRS Operating Guidance

• Development of an updated comprehensive set of worked examples

• Review of HHSRS training requirements and development of a competency framework

• Recommendations for a simpler means of banding HHSRS assessment results

• Development of baseline indicators (minimum standards)

• Assessment of the amalgamation or removal of existing hazard profiles

• Evaluation of an HHSRS digital assessment tool specification

• Updated guidance for landlords and agents and new guidance for tenants

• Reviewed and updated HHSRS Enforcement Guidance

• Specialist review of the Fire Safety Hazard, including new minimum standards and specific supplementary guidance.

Each output was underpinned by consultation, literature review and, where appropriate, field-testing. RHE Global brought together a specialist team of Chartered Environmental Health Professionals, housing experts, and academic partners from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Middlesex University and the University of Bristol. Using a multi-method approach, we delivered the evidence-based project through:

• Extensive stakeholder engagement: Over 1,000 housing professionals, landlords, tenants and local authority officers participated through focus groups, surveys and interviews across England.

• Literature and data reviews: Comprehensive review of UK and international housing health standards, updated national housing condition data and fire safety research.

• Technical development: Revised hazard profiles, updated statistical baselines, new minimum standards (‘baseline indicators’) and a renewed banding and scoring system using a ‘traffic light’ approach.

• Digital innovation: Recommendations for a future end-to-end HHSRS digital assessment tool to support mobile working, case management and data integration.

• Updated guidance: A new suite of guidance manuals was drafted for assessors, landlords, tenants and enforcement officers, making the system more transparent and user-friendly.

Every stage of the review was subject to peer review, testing and government consultation to ensure reliability and stakeholder alignment.

Project outcomes

The HHSRS Review, completed in 2022, delivers a comprehensive roadmap for modernising housing health and safety assessment in England. Among its key achievements, the review streamlined the hazard profiles by reducing the number of assessed hazards from 29 to 21. The review also introduced the concept of baseline indicators and practical, easy-to-understand minimum standards that help landlords and tenants undertake initial self-assessments and identify serious hazards early. In response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and broader concerns about fire safety, the fire hazard profile was modernised, incorporating updated minimum standards specifically designed to enhance the safety of high-rise and multi-occupied buildings. To support a more accessible and transparent system, a new colour-coded and descriptor-led banding system was formulated, replacing the previous structure. This change improves clarity for both professional assessors and laypersons. Alongside these technical updates, the review recommended the introduction of an enhanced training and competency framework, including a graduated scale of competency to strengthen professional development pathways for inspectors. Recognising the growing importance of technology in regulatory practice, the review also explored the fundamentals for digital transformation, providing a clear specification for a digital HHSRS inspection and assessment platform to give faster, smarter and more systematic enforcement across local authorities. To support the implementation of these reforms, the project produced updated guidance materials for assessors, landlords, tenants and local authorities, linking the HHSRS more closely to wider housing standards and enforcement mechanisms.

As part of our recommendations to the Government, RHE Global produced and submitted the following new or updated materials:

• Housing Health and Safety Inspection and Assessment Manuals (three-part statutory guidance suite):

  • Part 1 – An Introductory Guide

  • Part 2 – A Technical Guide for Assessors

  • Part 3 – A Supplementary Guide to the Hazard of Fire and Explosions

• Updated Comprehensive Set of Worked Examples: Approximately 80 worked examples illustrating hazard identification, assessment using baseline indicators and the scoring outcomes

• Updated Landlord and Property Professional Guidance: Focused on making the assessment process, enforcement pathways and tribunal processes more accessible and practical

• New Tenant Guidance: Simple, accessible information to empower tenants to understand housing standards and how local authorities assess housing conditions

• Reviewed and Updated HHSRS Enforcement Guidance: Supporting local authorities to deliver reliable and proportionate enforcement using the full range of available powers

• Training and Competency Framework Recommendations: Including new pathways for practice-based learning, short-course development and a graduated competency framework aligned with enforcement needs

• Digital Assessment Tool Specification and Business Case: Setting out the requirements for an integrated digital system to improve inspection efficiency, uniformity and data collection nationally.

The outcomes of the HHSRS review underpin wider sector reforms, including supporting the extension of the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector and the ambitions of the Renters’ Rights Bill. They also directly respond to the Grenfell Inquiry’s call for clearer, more enforceable housing and fire safety practices. RHE Global is proud to have played a central role in delivering this landmark project, helping to shape a safer, more consistent and more transparent housing system for the future.

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