Controls on private housing

Housing controls apply to all types of properties.  Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have additional controls.

Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)

All houses should be free from Serious Health and Safety Hazards  - known as Category 1 Hazards.

Within 5 years of a licence application, all HMOs have to be assessed to ensure there are no category 1 hazards.

Furniture and furnishings

There are standards for furniture and furnishings to ensure fire safety in all private rented housing

In HMOs the manager is required to ensure that the furniture supplied is in a clean condition at the start of a person's occupation.

Building Regulation Approval

Some of the works to HMOs will require building regulation approval including for:

• change of use for houses occupied by more than 6
• installation of plumbing and electrical works
• thermal insulation
• structural alterations

Meeting building regulation standards does not imply that the house meets HMO standards and will be free from Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards.

Landlords submitting an application for building regulations should include HMO in the title of the application. We may then advise you as to any requirements we might have.

Legionnaires' Disease

All landlords providing rented accommodation will have responsibilities to ensure that the risk regarding legionella are properly controlled.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforce landlord obligations for Legionnaire's Disease.

Energy Performance Certificates

Landlords in the social and private rented sectors must give new tenants a copy of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for their home.

It includes a rating for its energy efficiency and environmental impact, together with recommended measures (for the landlord to consider) which would improve its rating.

Prospective tenants are able to make informed choices about the energy costs and environmental impact of properties they are considering renting.

Landlords are encouraged to implement energy efficiency measures to make their properties more attractive to prospective tenants.

Standards in the sector have improved, tenants have warmer, more efficient homes, and issues around the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), excess cold hazard, fuel poverty and the wider climate change agenda have been addressed.