More than 600 Excess Heat hazards have been identified in homes by English councils since 2023, including at least 64 cases classed as the most serious Category 1 hazards.
Freedom of Information research by Cut Plastic Sheeting found 638 Excess Heat hazards recorded through Housing Health and Safety Rating System assessments.
Councils have also reported enforcement action including 102 Improvement Notices, 20 Prohibition Orders and 29 Hazard Awareness Notices linked to Excess Heat.
The findings follow the UK’s hottest summer on record and come as overheating becomes an increasing consideration for housing standards.
CATEGORY 1 HAZARDS
Bradford recorded 114 Excess Heat hazards across the periods covered by the research.
The council also reported 36 Improvement Notices, three Prohibition Orders, two Emergency Prohibition Orders and four civil penalties, with the penalties totalling £53,250.
Barnet identified 19 Category 1 hazards among 47 Excess Heat cases, while Bristol recorded 10 among 57.
North Yorkshire reported seven Category 1 hazards and Sheffield four.
Some councils have also recorded an increase in Excess Heat findings during the current financial year.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council identified 10 hazards from 58 assessments between April and the end of July, compared with two from 334 assessments during the previous three full financial years combined.
PRIVATE RENTED HOMES
Private rented properties featured prominently in several council responses, although the research warns that differences in the services covered by individual FOI responses mean the figures cannot be treated as representative of housing nationally.
Leeds said all 10 Excess Heat hazards it identified were in private rented homes, including three Category 1 cases.
East Riding of Yorkshire reported all 11 of its cases in private rented properties, while Durham recorded 133 Excess Heat hazards through its Environmental Health and Selective Licensing data, all in private rented housing.
Councils are required to act when a Category 1 hazard is identified under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and can also take action over Category 2 hazards.
Daniel Southern (main picture, inset), Managing Director at Cut Plastic Sheeting, says: “This summer was a reminder that some homes are not well equipped to cope when temperatures rise, and these figures show that overheating can become a genuine health and safety issue during extreme heat.
“Rather than forgetting about the problem once winter arrives, people should use the next few months to plan ahead.”
The research was based on FOI requests to 40 of England’s largest lower-tier and unitary authorities, with 36 responding and 32 supplying full or partial assessment data.
