HHSRS 2026 Changes: What Landlords and Letting Agents Must Know

On 23 June 2026, the biggest overhaul of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) since it was introduced took effect. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/571) simplify how councils assess hazards in rented homes — and they quietly make the fire hazard definition wider than it has ever been.

If you let property in England, these changes affect how your property can be inspected, scored and penalised. Here is what actually changed, what stayed the same, and what you should do about it — including how the new rules interact with your fire risk assessment duties.

What is the HHSRS and who does it apply to?

The HHSRS is the statutory risk-assessment tool councils use to evaluate whether residential premises in England are safe and healthy for occupiers and visitors. It was created by the Housing Act 2004 and replaced the old Housing Fitness Standard. It applies to all residential premises — rented or owner-occupied — including individual dwellings, flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Councils are under a duty to keep housing conditions in their area under review. When they inspect (under section 4 of the Housing Act 2004), they look for prescribed hazards — anything that could threaten the health or safety of someone in the home — score each hazard, and place it in a category that determines what enforcement action follows.

The 2026 amendment regulations do not replace the system. They restructure it: fewer, broader hazard descriptions, simpler scoring bands, clearer names, and updated official guidance. The underlying duty on landlords is unchanged: keep the property free of serious hazards.

What changed on 23 June 2026

The headline changes in SI 2026/571 are:

• 29 prescribed hazard descriptions reduced to 21, by amalgamating overlapping descriptions into broader categories (for example, carbon monoxide, biocides and fuel-combustion products are now assessed together under *indoor air pollutants*).
• The prescribed fire hazard definition was widened to cover fumes, explosions and fire-related structural collapse — see the next section.
• The four classes of harm were renamed from Classes I, II, III and IV to Extreme, Severe, Serious and Moderate.
• The ten hazard bands (A to J) were replaced with three bands: High, Medium and Low.
• Baseline indicators were introduced in the guidance as best-practice examples of what achieving safety against each hazard looks like.

Crucially, the amendments apply only to inspections commenced on or after 23 June 2026 (regulation 10). A council inspection started before that date is assessed under the old rules. Any new inspection — including a routine revisit — is assessed under the new framework.

The fire hazard definition is now wider

This is the change that matters most to landlords who assume their fire safety obligations start and end with a fire risk assessment.

Under the original 2005 regulations, the prescribed fire hazard was defined as harm arising from exposure to uncontrolled fire and associated smoke. The 2026 regulations (regulation 4) broaden this to also include harm arising from:

• fumes associated with a fire,
• an explosion, and
• the collapse of the whole or part of a building as a result of fire or an explosion.

The official explanatory note confirms the intent: the "fire" hazard description now covers exposure to fumes, and the hazard descriptors for structural collapse and explosions are broadened so they are not limited to a collapse or explosion at the dwelling or HMO itself — a fire or explosion in a neighbouring or adjoining building that harms people in the assessed property can now be captured by the hazard too.

In practical terms, councils assessing a rental property for the fire hazard will now look further than smoke and flame spread. They will consider gas-explosion risk, what happens if a fire next door breaches the party wall, and whether the structure could collapse in a fire — and the landlord's duty is to show those risks are controlled.

29 hazards are now 21

The new framework organises 21 prescribed hazards into four broad groups:

Protection against accidents 1. Falls on the level 2. Falling on stairs etc. 3. Falling between levels 4. Fire and explosions 5. Flames, hot surfaces, etc. 6. Collisions, entrapment and ergonomics 7. Structural collapse and falling elements 8. Electrical hazards

Physiological requirements 9. Excess cold 10. Radiation 11. Damp and mould growth 12. Lead 13. Indoor air pollutants (including carbon monoxide and fuel-combustion products) 14. Excess heat 15. Asbestos and manufactured mineral fibres

Protection against infection 16. Domestic hygiene 17. Water supply

Psychological requirements 18. Crowding and space 19. Entry by intruders 20. Noise 21. Lighting

The reduction from 29 to 21 does not mean anything is no longer assessed — it means overlapping descriptions were merged, and a single broader hazard now captures scenarios that previously fell across several. Carbon monoxide poisoning, for example, remains a hazard; it is simply scored under *indoor air pollutants* rather than its own standalone description.

Harm classes: Extreme, Severe, Serious, Moderate

The four classes of harm — used to judge how bad the outcome of a hazard could reasonably be — have been renamed from Roman-numeral Classes I to IV to descriptive names:

• Extreme — for example, death or 80% burns
• Severe — for example, cardio-respiratory disease, serious fractures, mild stroke
• Serious — for example, sleep disturbance, mild heart attack, eye disorders
• Moderate — for example, regular serious coughs or colds, slight concussion

The names changed; the purpose and application did not. The harm class feeds the scoring calculation that decides whether a hazard is Category 1 or Category 2.

Hazard bands: A–J is now High, Medium, Low

Councils used to score each hazard on a points scale and slot it into one of ten lettered bands from A (worst) to J (best). That letter system has been replaced by three plain-language bands:

• High — Category 1 hazards scoring 1,000 or above (previously bands A–C)
• Medium — Category 2 hazards scoring 100 to 999 (previously bands D–F)
• Low — Category 2 hazards scoring up to 99 (previously bands G–J)

The important legal boundary is untouched: Category 1 hazards (the most serious, now High band) place the council under a duty to take enforcement action, while Category 2 hazards (Medium and Low) give it a discretion. Enforcement options include improvement notices, prohibition orders, emergency remedial action and emergency prohibition orders.

Baseline indicators: what "good" looks like

Alongside the regulations, MHCLG published new statutory guidance on 23 June 2026 — operating guidance, enforcement guidance, a landlord and agent guide and a tenant guide — plus baseline indicators for each hazard.

Baseline indicators are examples of the measures a property would normally need to be considered safe against a given hazard. They are not minimum legal standards and do not replace the risk assessment itself, but where an indicator is not met, the inspecting officer will record it as a deficiency. They are a useful self-audit checklist: if you can demonstrate you meet the baseline for every relevant hazard, your property is far less likely to attract formal enforcement.

Enforcement is getting sharper

The 2026 changes arrived alongside a tougher enforcement climate. Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, councils can impose civil penalties of up to £7,000 for Category 1 hazards alone, and the government has allocated £60 million to local authorities to enforce the Act — with councils keeping the financial penalties they collect. In practice, that means Category 1 hazards such as a serious fire risk, damp and mould, or excess cold are more likely to be pursued, and pursued quickly.

A landlord who ignores a Category 1 fire hazard can therefore face, in sequence: an improvement notice, a prohibition order, a civil penalty of up to £7,000, and potentially prosecution — all from a single inspection.

How HHSRS relates to your fire risk assessment

The most common source of confusion is the relationship between HHSRS and the fire risk assessment regime — and the two are complementary, not alternatives:

• HHSRS (Housing Act 2004) covers hazards *inside individual dwellings* — including single let properties where the fire safety order does not reach. A council inspection of a rented house scores the fire hazard under the widened 2026 definition.
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) requires a fire risk assessment for the *common parts and means of escape* of HMOs, blocks of flats, and all non-domestic premises. The inside of a single private dwelling is outside the RRO, but HMO common areas, shared kitchens, corridors, stairways and escape routes are firmly inside it.

So a landlord of an HMO or flat typically needs both: an RRO-compliant fire risk assessment for the shared areas and escape routes, and a property in a condition that will not score a Category 1 fire hazard under HHSRS on inspection. The 2026 widening of the fire hazard means councils can now cite fumes, explosion risk and fire-related structural collapse in a dwelling-level hazard — issues a competent fire risk assessor would already flag in the common parts.

If you manage HMOs or blocks of flats, our guides on fire risk assessment for flats and Building Safety Act duties and the second staircase rule 2026 explain how the wider reform programme is changing what landlords are expected to maintain.

What landlords and agents should do now

The new framework is in force, so treat it as your operating baseline:

• Review your portfolio against the 21 hazards, using the new baseline indicators as a checklist. Pay particular attention to fire, damp and mould, excess cold, and indoor air pollutants — the areas councils target most.
• Check your fire safety paperwork. For HMOs and blocks of flats, confirm your fire risk assessment is current, was carried out by a competent assessor, and covers the widened scenarios: gas explosion risk, fire spread from adjoining buildings, and structural behaviour in fire. See our 7 questions to ask a fire risk assessment company before commissioning one.
• Maintain the physical measures. Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, fire doors, escape routes and electrical safety certificates are the things inspectors check first. Monthly fire door checks are already mandatory in multi-occupied residential buildings.
• Keep records. If a council inspects, you need to demonstrate what you knew and when you acted. Inspection reports, remedial-action logs and assessment reviews are your evidence.
• Train your team. If you employ staff or agents who manage properties, fire safety awareness training (for example, Fire Safety Awareness or Fire Warden training) keeps responsibilities front of mind.
• Act on Category 2 hazards before they escalate. Medium and Low band hazards are discretionary for councils — but a worsening Category 2 hazard can become Category 1, and with it the duty to act and exposure to penalties.

FAQ

Does the HHSRS apply to my rental property in Wales or Scotland?

No. The HHSRS (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 apply to England only. Scotland and Wales have their own housing-condition regimes — and note that Wales is separately introducing new fire safety duties for multi-occupied residential buildings under the Building Safety (Wales) Act 2026, which we cover in our Wales guide.

Do the 2026 changes mean I need a new HHSRS inspection?

No. The changes do not trigger new inspections. They change how inspections commenced on or after 23 June 2026 are assessed. If a council inspects your property tomorrow, the new rules and new guidance apply to that inspection.

Are the 21 hazards fewer requirements than the old 29?

No. The 29 hazard descriptions were amalgamated into 21 broader descriptions so overlapping scenarios are scored together. Nothing was deregulated — for example, carbon monoxide remains a hazard under *indoor air pollutants*, and the fire hazard is now wider than before.

What is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 hazards?

A Category 1 hazard is the most serious class — in the new framework, a High band score of 1,000 or above. Councils must take enforcement action against Category 1 hazards. Category 2 hazards (Medium and Low bands) are less serious, and councils have discretion over whether to act — although penalties are now available for Category 1 only.

How much can I be fined for a Category 1 hazard?

Under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, councils can impose civil penalties of up to £7,000 per Category 1 hazard, in addition to improvement notices, prohibition orders and, in serious cases, prosecution. Councils keep the penalties they collect, which is why enforcement is expected to increase.

Does having a fire risk assessment protect me from HHSRS?

A valid, up-to-date fire risk assessment under the RRO 2005 helps demonstrate you are managing fire risk in the common parts — but HHSRS separately assesses hazards inside individual dwellings. A fire risk assessment is strong evidence of proactive compliance, but it does not exempt a property from a council inspection or from other hazards such as damp, cold or crowding.

The bottom line

The HHSRS changes from 23 June 2026 simplify the scoring framework — 21 hazards, three bands, four renamed harm classes — but they also widen the fire hazard and arrive alongside sharper enforcement powers. For landlords, the practical response is unchanged in direction but higher in urgency: find the hazards before the council does, fix them, and keep the paperwork that proves it.

If you manage an HMO, block of flats or commercial premises and need a compliant fire risk assessment, book an assessment with HawkSwift or read more about our fire risk assessment service.

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