The Renters’ Rights Bill will give local authorities more power to crack down on Category 1 hazards in rented homes, and landlords are being called upon to act now after new research by Inventory Base revealed that more than one in 10 private rented homes contains a Category 1 hazard.
According to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), a Category 1 hazard is the most serious and immediate risk to a person’s health and safety that can be found in the home – hazards which can result in death, permanent paralysis, or serious fractures, such as fire risks, serious structural damage, excess cold, and electrical hazards.
In 2020, Awaab Ishak, a 2 year old died from a severe respiratory infection caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his rented home.
This case highlighted the lethal risks associated with damp and mould – both classified as Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
CATEGORY 1 HAZARD
Inventory Base’s analysis of the latest government data reveals that 10.7% of private rented homes in England contain a Category 1 hazard.
More than a quarter (27.8%) of England’s Category 1 hazards are found in private rented homes. The proportion of private rented homes containing a Category 1 hazard increases significantly in some of England’s local authority districts.
In North Yorkshire, a staggering 28.6% of all private rented homes contain a Category 1 hazard. This is followed closely by Calderdale (27.2%), Westmorland & Furness (24.3%), Kirklees (24.2%), Bradford (23.8%), and Herefordshire (23.2%).
The remaining local authority districts where more than 20% of private rented homes contain a Category 1 hazard are the Derbyshire Dales (23%), the East Riding of Yorkshire (22.5%), Pendle (21.6%), Malvern HIlls (21.3%), and North Lincolnshire (20%).
REAL AND PRESENT DANGER
Siân Hemming-Metcalfe, Operations Director at Inventory Base UK, says: “Category 1 hazards present a very real and present danger for people in the home – at any given moment, one can escalate into a life-altering, or even life-ending, disaster.
“So how have we ended up in such a position where more than one in ten private rented homes contains one or more of these life-threatening risks?
“While laws have long existed to prevent Category 1 hazards, enforcement has been weak. Hazards go unfixed. Rogue landlords face no consequences. The result? Dangerous homes, and tenants left exposed. We only have to look at the recent scandal unfolding in Merseyside concerning two tower blocks that have been deemed so dangerous that the residents are about to be rendered homeless.”
GREATER SCRUTINY
And she adds: “The Renters’ Rights Bill is about to flip that script. Enforcement powers are being sharpened, with greater scrutiny and stronger penalties for landlords who ignore serious risks. There will be no excuse for inaction.
“For far too long, too many hazards have been left to fester, with rogue landlords facing nothing more than a shrug from overstretched councils. Tougher enforcement is the right move but only if local authorities are properly resourced to carry it through.”
