Housing Health and Safety Rating System: the way forward?

The standard by which fitness is measured in Northern Ireland is very basic. Many properties, whilst passing the fitness standard, may still be viewed as unsuitable for living in. The last House Conditions Survey shows that whilst the level of unfitness in the private rented sector has reduced, falling from 2.7% in 2006 to 2.0% in 2011, it is still much higher compared to the social housing (0.1%) and owner occupied (1%) sectors. For Housing Rights Service, disrepair and unfitness queries still make up a significant number of contacts to our advice line.

Failings of the fitness standard

Based on our day-to-day experiences of dealing with this issue, we believe that the current standard has a number of weaknesses:

• The fitness threshold is very low. Under the current fitness standard having access to an electrical socket is sufficient to meet the standard for an adequate provision of heating;
• It does not allow for degrees of unfitness; it is very much a pass or fail test;
• It does not allow for an assessment of how serious a particular problem might be;
• It only considers the actual dwelling and does not take account of areas beyond the dwelling such as gardens, outbuildings, access to the dwelling or boundaries;
• It only considers the physical standard of the property as it is when inspected. It does not take into account any potential risks to the occupant’s health.
• Condensation is a real issue for many people in NI, but the current fitness standard is powerless to order a landlord to take remedial action e.g.  better heating and ventilation;
• Draughts are not included in the fitness standard and yet they are a common issue which can have a real impact on a person’s quality of life in their home.

Opportunity for reform

Under the Department for Social Development (DSD Strategy Action Plan for 2012 – 2017) there is a commitment to review the statutory fitness standard across all tenures with the objective of putting in place an enhanced statutory minimum standard. After looking at a number of fitness models, Housing Rights Service considers the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to be the best suited to achieve this.

What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System?

The HHSRS does more than just look at the bricks and mortar; it looks at the bigger picture in terms of the potential impact of defects on people’s health. During a HHSRS assessment the environmental health inspector looks for risks of harm to the actual occupier and judges the severity over the next 12 months.

HHSRS assesses 29 categories of housing hazard which are grouped into 4 categories:

1. Physiological - includes humidity, ventilation, damp and mould growth, excess cold, excess heat, asbestos, Carbon Monoxide.
2. Psychological - includes space, crowding, security, light, and noise.
3. Protection against infection - includes hygiene, sanitation, pests, refuse and water supply.
4. Protection against accidents - includes falls e.g. associated with baths, stairs, level surfaces, electrical hazards, fire, burns and scalds.

Hazards are also weighted as either ‘serious’ (category 1) or ‘other’ (category 2), determining what action should be taken.

Potential benefits of HHSRS

We feel that the HHSRS is the best option for NI for the following reasons:

• Improving the health of people in Northern Ireland
• Reduce the risk of home accidents.
• Its not a pass or fail test
• Offers a comprehensive range of enforcement options
• Better alignment with DSD’s objectives
• Potential cost savings to the NHS.

The HHSRS is a tried and tested fitness standard. It has been operating in England and Wales since 2006 and has now been adopted in the USA. Housing Rights Service believes that the HHSRS model to the best suited to achieve and enhanced minimum standard of fitness, and hope the DSD will fully consider is for Northern Ireland.

Read the full briefing paper