‘Councils perceive landlords as dubious and don’t understand their statutory duties’
3 years ago | 11 comments
Landlord HHSRS inspection template launched
12:01 AM, 3rd March 2026, 2 months ago
3
Landlords and agents can bring inspection standards into line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) as the Renters’ Rights Act moves closer.
That’s because the Act adopts the HHSRS to define statutory hazards in rented properties and how they should be evidenced.
Property management software platform Inventory Base has now launched an HHSRS-compliant inspection template built around the statutory hazard framework.
The firm says the structure reflects the same risk model used by local authorities during enforcement assessments.
HHSRS risk model
The firm’s operations director, Sián Hemming-Metcalfe, says: “HHSRS is the framework councils use to decide whether a home is genuinely safe.
“If landlords and agents aren’t inspecting against that same risk model, serious hazards can be missed – and that puts tenant health at risk long before enforcement ever enters the picture.”
She added: “With the Renters’ Rights Act commencing in May 2026, scrutiny will intensify and property managers need to be ready.
“Structured HHSRS assessments will become a core part of responsible portfolio management – not only identifying risks but managing them proactively across the full property lifecycle.”
Category 1 hazards
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System, introduced under the Housing Act 2004, remains the legal test for residential safety.
The identification of a Category 1 hazard requires the local council to act.
The English Housing Survey 2022–23 data shows about 9% of homes in England contain at least one Category 1 hazard, which is around 2.1 million properties.
All 29 statutory hazard categories are embedded into inspection workflows so landlords can score hazards within official operating guidance.
The system then classifies risks into Category 1 or Category 2 bands with standardised inspection outputs to support record retention and compliance trails.
The template is live on the firm’s platform and can be used across check-ins, mid-term visits and compliance reviews.
Tags:
Category 1 hazard, HHSRS inspections, Housing Act 2004, housing hazards, landlord compliance, landlord safety checks, Private Rented Sector, property inspections, PRS enforcement, Renters’ Rights Act 2026
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Member Since June 2019 - Comments: 782
11:50 AM, 3rd March 2026, About 2 months ago
I remember in one case the class 1 hazards included tenants post left on the stairs and their clothes rack left in front of the back door – nothing to do with tenants apparently all the landlords fault.
Member Since March 2023 - Comments: 1506
8:27 AM, 4th March 2026, About 2 months ago
software platform Inventory Base has now launched an HHSRS-compliant inspection template
Nothing to do with flogging software then.
Member Since March 2026 - Comments: 4
1:23 PM, 4th March 2026, About 2 months ago
To be fair, the HHSRS framework itself is worth understanding regardless of what tool you use. Most landlords have never actually looked at the 29 hazard categories and a lot of them aren’t obvious. Things like lighting levels, entry by intruders, noise insulation. You could have a perfectly well maintained property and still technically have a Category 1 hazard if you haven’t assessed it properly.
The bigger concern for me is that under the Renters’ Rights Act, tenants will have a stronger route to challenge conditions directly. So having some kind of documented inspection history is going to matter more than it used to, even if it’s just a checklist you do yourself during routine visits.
I spent a weekend last month going through all my properties and rebuilding my document trail from scratch. Took a while but it’s all sorted now and I feel a lot less exposed going into May. Would recommend anyone with more than a couple of properties does the same sooner rather than later.