How we can help tenants
If you’re a private tenant and concerned about the condition of your home, we can inspect the property. An assessment will be carried out and where unacceptable hazards exist, we may be able to take action. Usually this involves the owner or landlord carrying out necessary repairs or improvements.
Report a private rental disrepair or housing standards issue to us
Before informing us of a disrepair issue, you must report any defects direct to the landlord in writing, giving them the opportunity to deal with the problem. If the matter is not corrected within a reasonable timescale, you should contact us for further assistance.
Call our housing standards team to report a disrepair, overcrowding or any other issue relating to housing standards.
Phone: 01483 743 882
How we assess housing conditions
The housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS) is used to assess housing conditions.
The HHSRS is a risk-based approach to identifying defects in dwellings and of evaluating the potential effect of any defects on the health and safety of occupants.
Hazards are assessed on the likelihood of a harmful occurrence taking place in the property and the potential severity of the outcome. A formula is used to score the hazard and this will determine the category of the hazard.
We have a duty of care to deal with the most serious hazards and we may also deal with less serious hazards. Actions we may take include serving informal hazard awareness notices, formal improvement and prohibition notices, plus specific action to deal with urgent hazards.
Any action taken by us will be in accordance with our housing enforcement policy.
View our housing enforcement policy
Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)
Landlords of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) also have additional responsibilities relating to the management of the property.
Find out more about HMO responsibilities
How we can help landlords
Our housing standards team also works with private landlords to promote good quality and safe rented accommodation. These standards provide guidance on how landlords can meet the wide range of health, safety and welfare requirements relating to private rented accommodation.