What is the HHSRS?
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is the risk assessment framework used by local authority housing enforcement teams to identify hazards in residential properties. For supported housing and exempt accommodation providers, HHSRS is a key part of demonstrating that properties are safe for vulnerable residents.
Unlike a simple pass/fail certificate, HHSRS evaluates categories of hazard — from damp and mould to fire safety and structural collapse — and assesses the likelihood of harm and the probable severity of outcomes.
Category 1 and Category 2 hazards
Hazards are classified as Category 1 (serious) or Category 2 (less serious). Category 1 hazards require urgent remedial action; enforcement officers can use a range of powers including prohibition orders. Category 2 hazards still require management but may be addressed through planned maintenance programmes.
Supported housing managers should maintain a hazard register per property: what was found, the category, remedial action taken, dates completed, and evidence (photos, contractor invoices, follow-up inspections).
Operational challenges in supported housing
Paper-based inspection logs and ad hoc spreadsheets make it difficult to prove compliance across a dispersed portfolio — especially when commissioners or auditors ask for evidence across multiple schemes.
Linking HHSRS assessments to repairs workflows matters: a damp hazard identified in an inspection should generate a tracked repair job with assignment, cost, and completion evidence — not sit in an email chain.
Recording HHSRS in case management software
GreenShoots lets supported housing teams record HHSRS assessments against properties, log hazards with categories, assign remedial actions, and generate compliance reports. Repairs can be logged in the same system with photos, contractor details, and resolution times — giving you a single audit trail from inspection to fix.
When HHSRS sits alongside rent sheets, tenancy records, and resident case notes, managers see property risk and resident support in one place rather than across disconnected tools.
Checklist for managers
Review this quarterly with your housing lead:
- Every property has a current HHSRS assessment or scheduled inspection date.
- Category 1 hazards have documented remedial action within required timescales.
- Repairs raised from inspections are tracked to completion with evidence attached.
- Staff know how to escalate new hazards reported by residents or key workers.
- Commissioner or funder reporting includes property compliance summary where required.