Draft statutory Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) operating and enforcement guidance published

12 May 2026

We welcome the government’s progress on its review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), a key framework for assessing hazards in homes, which underpins both Awaab’s Law and the Decent Homes Standard.

Draft statutory operating and enforcement guidance has now been laid before Parliament. The operating guidance sets out changes to simplify the HHSRS, including:

Combining hazards to reduce the total number from 29 to 21.
Introducing a clearer banding system for assessment results.
Publishing indicative baselines to help landlords and residents identify where homes may need improvement.

The government will be finalising and publishing further guidance in due course, including guidance written specifically for social landlords and for residents. We expect these documents will provide further, non-technical guidance that will be useful for housing associations in making assessments under Awaab's Law.

Who to speak to

Nick Budlender, Policy Officer

Nick.Budlender@housing.org.uk

Draft statutory Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) operating and enforcement guidance published

Who to speak to

Nick Budlender, Policy Officer

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