Housing standards
In this section
Housing health and safety Inspections
Our aim is to ensure that people have a home which is safe, in good repair and has adequate amenities. We carry out risk assessments under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and can take enforcement action.
What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)?
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a risk assessment tool used to assess potential risks to health and safety of occupants within residential properties. It is part of the Housing Act 2004.
This assessment method focuses on the hazards that are most likely to be present in housing. Tackling these hazards will make more homes healthier and safer to live in.
Who does it affect?
All owners and landlords including social landlords.
What hazards does it cover?
The system can deal with 29 hazards, summarised as follows:
- Dampness, excess cold/heat
- Pollutants e.g. asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead
- Lack of space, security or lighting, or excessive noise
- Poor hygiene, sanitation, water supply
- Accidents – falls, electric shocks, fires, burns, scalds
- Collisions, explosions, structural collapse
What do you look for at the risk assessment?
A risk assessment looks at the likelihood of an incident arising from the condition of the property and the likely harmful outcome. For example, how likely is a fire to break out, what will happen if one does? The assessment will show the presence of any serious (category 1) hazards and other less serious (category 2) hazards.
How do you enforce the HHSRS?
If we discover serious category 1 hazards in a home, we have a duty to take the most appropriate action.
We will try to deal with problems informally first. However, if unsuccessful we can require landlords to carry out improvement works to the property.
We have the power to prohibit the use of the whole or part of a dwelling or restrict the number of permitted occupants. Where hazards are modest they may serve a hazard awareness notice to draw attention to the problem.
An owner or an agent who has an improvement notice or prohibition order served on him by the council can appeal the notice, normally within 21 days.
Appeals are heard by the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) Residential Property (RPT).
Havant Justice Centre
The Court House
Elmleigh Road
Havant
Hampshire
PO9 2AL
Tel: 01243 779394
rpsouthern@hmcts.gsi.gov.uk
Immigration Inspections
The Housing team can carry out a full inspection of your home, if required by the Immigration Service, in order to support your application for immigration for a family member to come and live with you. We will provide a letter as required by the Service to support the immigration if the home is
- Free from hazards under the Housing Act,
- Has all of the certification required,
- Adding another person or persons to the household will not cause overcrowding.
The purpose of an inspection is to check the proposed accommodation is safe, in a good state of repair, with no health and safety related issues and of a suitable size for the number of occupants. During the inspection the officer will require access into all rooms in the property. The officer will walk around each room and look for any defects that could affect the health and safety of anyone living in the property.
The charge for such inspections is £178 and must be paid before the inspection is undertaken. This department can provide the application form and take payment to facilitate the inspection. If a revisit is required the charge is £89.
to book or enquire about an inspection please email ehl@horsham.gov.uk or call 01403 215641.