Government Publishes Final Updated HHSRS Guidance: HHSRS2 Has Arrived

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The Government has released its final updated guidance for the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), completing the most significant overhaul of the system since it was introduced 20 years ago by the Housing Act 2004.

Published on 23 June 2026, the new statutory Operating and Enforcement Guidance replaces the guidance from 2006 and is accompanied by new guidance specifically for landlords, agents and tenants, with the system already being referred to as HHSRS2 or HHSRS 2026.

The Affirmative Statutory Instrument that puts the law on the statute book is The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 - for landlords and housing professionals, this is much more than a technical update for assessors as the new HHSRS reinforces the shift towards identifying housing hazards earlier, assessing risk consistently and preventing poor housing conditions from harming residents.

What has changed?

The HHSRS remains a risk assessment process that uses guided decision-making to identify, assess and manage health and safety risks in social and private rented homes under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.

However, the updated system has been modernised and simplified, with the new guidance structured around 3 Parts:

• Part 1: An introductory guide explaining the principles and assessment process
• Part 2: Detailed technical guidance and profiles for each of the 21 Hazards
• Part 3: Supplementary guidance covering inspections of the Fire and Explosions Hazard

The updated guidance currently only applies in England currently, however, the Affirmative Statutory Instrument allows for it to be extended to Wales in due course, which continues to use the original HHSRS, or HHSRS1 in the meantime.

Hazards, Indicators, Scoring and Harm

Hazard amalgamation - 13 existing Hazards have been combined into 5 new amalgamated Hazards, reducing the total Hazards from 29 to 21 in (same) 4 Groups, which are Accidents, Physiological, Infection and Psychological.

Baseline Indicators - These indicators are used to make an initial assessment of whether property contains serious Hazards and it is likely a property will be free from Category 1 Hazards if the stated baselines are met.

Simplified scoring - The A to J banding (10 band) has been replaced with High, Medium and Low (3 band), giving rise to 3 Categories

Renamed Harm Outcome Classes - The I–IV rating has been replaced with Extreme, Severe, Serious and Moderate.

Guidance, Case Studies and Tools

Updated enforcement guidance - The guidance has been amended for legislative reforms and regulatory best practice, Pursuant to Part 1 of Housing Act 2004.

Updated guidance for landlords/agents and new guidance for tenants - The existing guidance for landlords/agents has been updated and new guidance for tenants introduced.

Suite of Case Studies - 21 Case Studies has been introduced, replacing the existing Worked Examples.

Training, qualifications and tools - A review of courses/degrees, CPD and digital tools and has been proposed.

Why does the HHSRS matter for disrepair?

The HHSRS and housing disrepair are different legal concepts, however, they frequently overlap.

Defects such as leaking roofs, defective heating, inadequate ventilation or electrical problems can create both a repair obligation and a health or safety hazard.

The HHSRS therefore provides an important framework for understanding the risk created by poor property condition, rather than simply identifying that a defect exists.

A Category 1 Hazard requires a local authority to take appropriate enforcement action, while authorities have powers to act in relation to Category 2 hazards.

For landlords, this reinforces the importance of moving beyond simply completing individual repair orders towards understanding the underlying condition and risk within the home.

How does HHSRS interoperate with Awaab’s Law?

The timing of the new guidance is particularly important because of the phased implementation of Awaab’s Law between 2025 and 2028, which utilises the HHSRS Hazards, as laid down in The Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements)
(England) Regulations 2025.

Phase 1 came into force in October 2025, covering all emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards - from 30 November 2026, Phase 2 extends the significant-hazard requirements to excess cold, excess heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosions, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene.

The two frameworks are connected, but they are not the same - HHSRS assesses risk using a notional vulnerable occupant, whereas Awaab’s Law focuses on the circumstances of the actual occupants of a home.

A Hazard does not therefore need to score as Category 1 under HHSRS to constitute a Significant Hazard under Awaab’s Law and an HHSRS assessment is not required before Awaab’s Law applies.

What should landlords do now?

The publication of the final guidance provides an opportunity for landlords to review:

• how frontline teams recognise and triage potential hazards
• the competence and training of staff undertaking HHSRS assessments
• how repairs, inspections and stock condition information are connected
• whether policies and procedures reflect the revised 21-hazard framework
• how HHSRS processes interact with Awaab’s Law and wider disrepair obligations

The transitional period for HHSRS2 is simply that any assessments undertaken prior to 

For social landlords, the forthcoming expansion of Awaab’s Law makes this particularly urgent, meanwhile private landlords can expect the law to be extended to the private rented sector in 2027, likely in April.

Why does this matter?

The updated HHSRS does not change the fundamental principle behind the system: homes should provide a safe and healthy environment for the people who live in them, regardless of tenure or the feasibility or cost of maintaining the property. 

But the updated guidance arrives in a fundamentally different housing environment from 2006, one that is shaped by Awaab’s Law, stronger consumer regulation, greater resident expectations and much closer scrutiny of housing conditions.

For landlords, the challenge is understand the new guidance, but also ensure that hazards are recognised, assessed and acted upon before poor housing conditions become serious disrepair, complaints or harm to residents.

How can DISREPAIR AWARE help?

Many social and private rented homes are not inspected regularly or maintained properly - we want to help improve housing conditions for everyone.

DISREPAIR AWARE helps:

• tenants and leaseholders to understand their legal rights and get support
• registered providers, private landlords and managing agents to understand their legal obligations and get compliant
  

You can find more news and insights about housing disrepair on our Blog.

Note: This Blog post may be updated from time to time.