Inventory Base has launched a new HHSRS-compliant inspection template designed to help landlords and managing agents align property inspections with the statutory framework used by local authorities.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), introduced under the Housing Act 2004, is the legal mechanism councils use to assess housing safety. Where a Category 1 hazard is identified, enforcement action is mandatory.
According to the English Housing Survey 2022–23, around 9% of homes in England contain at least one Category 1 hazard – equivalent to approximately 2.1 million dwellings.
Private renters are more likely than owner occupiers to live in homes with serious hazards, with the private rented sector accounting for around 4.6 million households in England.
HOUSING HAZARDS
Research from the Building Research Establishment (BRE) also estimates that serious housing hazards cost the NHS around £1.4bn per year in treatment costs across England.
Inventory Base says its new template embeds the full HHSRS framework into inspection workflows, enabling users to record hazards across all 29 statutory categories, apply structured likelihood and harm scoring aligned with official guidance, automatically determine Category 1 and Category 2 hazard bands, and produce consistent inspection documentation.
UNDER SCRUTINY
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base, says: “HHSRS is the framework councils use to decide whether a home is genuinely safe.
“If landlords and agents aren’t inspecting against that same risk model, serious hazards can be missed – and that puts tenant health at risk long before enforcement ever enters the picture.
“With the Renters’ Rights Act commencing in May 2026, scrutiny will intensify and property managers need to be ready. Structured HHSRS assessments will become a core part of responsible portfolio management – not only identifying risks, but managing them proactively across the full property lifecycle.”
The new HHSRS template is available immediately within the Inventory Base platform and can be used alongside check-ins, mid-term inspections and compliance audits, as enforcement expectations increase across the private rented sector.
