The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) 

iS2 Provide Quality HHSRS Property Assessments: Our clients include Local Councils, Housing Associations, Private Landlords and Managing Agents. 

We offer advice on proposed or pending Local Authority Enforcement action faced by Letting Agents and/or their client Landlords. (Enforcement Notices-Prohibition Orders)

iS2 can represent you in cases at RPT hearings or , contact us in complete discretion.    

iS2 provide confidential advice about all aspects of the regulation of Single Lettings and Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s), HMO Licencing and HMO Management Regulations, and of course single lettings. Ensuring you have in place systems that meet your legal responsibilities. Assessments are carried out by one of our Surveyors with many years experience as a Housing Standards Enforcement Officer or Environmental Health Officer.

iS2 Senior Surveyor Robert Ellison has delivered HHSRS in-house training for some of the larger Housing Associations and received excellent feedback. Each course is tailor made to meet our clients requirements, register your interest via our contacts page.

iS2 are based in South Manchester we have provided HHSRS Assessments/Reports to a wide variety of clients throughout the country.

We  are continually looking to increase our network of Associate Surveyors to enable us to reach a larger client base Nationwide. Register your interest via our contacts page outlining your work history, location and knowledge of HHSRS.

iS2 provide

  • Housing standards assessments to ensure your property is fundamentally safe.
  • Identify defects and hazards for the landlord to rectify before you sign them up.
  • Inspect properties including HMO’s for compliance with Fire Safety, HMO Licensing and the HMO Management Regulations.
  • Fire Safety Risk Assessments for HMO’s that are fully managed by you and require a Licence.
  • Surveys and draw up schedules of work for your contractors to price from.
  • Immigration property inspections to assist VISA Applications.
  • Stock Condition Surveys
  • Decent Homes Surveys
  • HHSRS Training

The world of local authority housing standards enforcement is changing: The days of plentiful free advice and light-touch enforcement by Council’s is ending, and housing standards law is becoming ever more complex. The sanctions for non-compliance are greater than ever with the implementation of the Housing & Planning Act 2016 and Councils have a legal duty (no discretion) to take prompt enforcement action against those in control of rented accommodation where significant hazards are identified. This usually starts in the form of an Enforcement Notice or Order for which most Councils charge between £200 and £500. Fail to comply with these directions and you might also face an unlimited fine if prosecuted, or a Civil Penalty of up to £30,000 (in addition to legal costs and the costs of the Council undertaking the work in your default).

If you’re an HMO Landlord, and you fail to identify that your property requires a Licence as prescribed by local or national requirements, the fines can be unlimited.  Can you afford to get this wrong?

The new ‘Civil Penalty’ charge regime means Councils are stepping up enforcement in all areas, as they can now keep the enforcement charges of up to £30,000 they levy and use them to fund further enforcement activities. This is leading to a substantial increase in the number of housing standards enforcement staff employed by Councils.

Why can’t I just call the Local Council for free Advice? You can try and I would always advocate you should start by doing this, but they can’t always provide the help you need. Most Councils won’t come out to just give advice.

But disrepair and poor safety is easy to spot, right? While some disrepair and safety issues might be obvious to anyone looking around a property, the true skill of a professional housing inspector is the knowledge and experience to know what should be present but isn’t. This is particularly true when it comes to fire safety, detection, containment and escape.

The risk of getting caught out is low, right? Apart from the very real prospect that any tenant can easily request a safety inspection from their Local Authority at any time that might expose poor compliance with Housing Standards Legislation, the world of ‘no win no fee’ litigation is on the rise. Regrettably some tenants will actively target landlords to pursue claims, particularly if the claim is ‘free’ to make, and they think the landlord has no record or audit of safety conditions prior to letting. This is why it makes good sense to get a safety audit prior to letting, even if it is just to provide a proof-positive and peace of mind.

It’s OK, I use a professional high-street Letting Agent for my properties? The letting agent industry has never been heavily regulated and almost anyone can set one up with no formal qualifications. While many letting agent do an excellent job of advertising property and setting up the tenancy, most have little or no training in Housing Standards legislation, its application or assessment. Their commercial imperative is to let the property only. The liability to provide safe accommodation usually remains squarely with the landlord as the owner of the property (not the letting agent) so the agent is relatively safe from most enforcement action, and may leave the landlord exposed.

Do I need a Fire Safety Risk Assessment for my properties? Usually yes, and it is an absolute legal requirement for you to have one and for it to be documented and undertaken by a ‘competent person’, where you are the ‘responsible person’ for an HMO that requires an HMO Licence. Remember, the ‘responsible person’ might  be the Managing Agent if the Landlord is absent. We can undertake this assessment for you and provide the Risk Assessment document, so you are compliant with Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.