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New amendment regulations update the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) for England. The changes affect how hazards are described, scored and banded when local authorities assess rented homes.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 were made and laid on 1 June 2026 and come into force on 23 June 2026. They amend the existing Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005. They do not replace HHSRS with a new enforcement regime.
For landlords and letting agents, the main point is that local authority HHSRS enforcement remains. Councils will still assess residential premises for hazards and may still take action where conditions justify it. What changes are the terminology and structure used in the assessment.
The most visible change is to the hazard descriptions in Schedule 1. The familiar list of 29 hazard descriptions is consolidated and reorganised under broader headings. New or merged headings include Indoor Air Pollutants, Domestic Hygiene, Falls on the level, Fire and explosions, and Collisions, Entrapment and Ergonomics.
This does not mean the underlying risks have disappeared. It means they are described and grouped differently.
The old A to J hazard bands are also replaced. Instead of ten bands, hazards will be categorised as High, Medium, or Low. The category 1 threshold remains the same: a hazard with a score of 1,000 or above is category 1. Under the amended system, a High band hazard is category 1, while Medium and Low band hazards are category 2.
The harm classes are renamed. Class I, Class II, Class III, and Class IV become Extreme, Severe, Serious, and Moderate. The change should make the system easier to understand, but existing policies, training notes, and checklists may need updating.
Table 1 likelihood values and Table 2 percentage and representative scale point values are also simplified and replaced.
The fire hazard wording is broadened. It now refers to exposure to uncontrolled fire and associated smoke and fumes, explosion, and the collapse of the whole or part of a building as a result of fire or explosion.
There is also a wording change for structural collapse. Paragraph 29 now refers to the collapse of the whole or part of “a building”, rather than “the dwelling or HMO”. That wider language matters for agents and landlords managing flats, converted buildings or properties where a risk may arise from the wider building structure.
Alongside the amended system, the government published revised operating and enforcement guidance, new case studies, and a landlord and agent guide. The landlord guide gives a shorter explanation of the 21 hazards, the assessment process, baseline indicators, and enforcement.
For most landlords, there is no action necessary, whereas agents may need to update references in internal documents, staff training, inspection checklists, and compliance systems that still refer to the old 29 hazards, A to J bands, or Class I to IV harm classes. Templates explaining HHSRS risk ratings to landlords, tenants, or contractors should also be reviewed.
HHSRS is being simplified and renamed, not abolished. From 23 June 2026, landlords should expect councils to use the new terminology, but the need to identify and remedy serious housing hazards remains unchanged.
This is likely the beginning of a general overhaul to the HHSRS that's been ongoing for sometime but we will have to wait and see.