Press Release
More resources needed to improve poor housing, says CIEH survey
27 February 2008
Councils need more resources to tackle sub-standard housing and improve public health, a report released by the CIEH says.
Assessing the implementation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) the research shows that the number of staff available and the number of complaints local authorities receive from residents were a greater influence on enforcement activity than addressing risks to health and safety in homes.
CIEH President Stephen Battersby said:
“Levels of enforcement activity actually increased overall between the two years considered and are expected to continue to do so - but are dictated by complaints made and staff availability. That is no way to ensure that the most vulnerable people in the worst housing conditions are being helped.
“If we are serious about reducing the impact of poor housing on health, local authorities must begin to use HHSRS in a strategic way to address the greatest risks to health.
“To reduce the health effects of poor housing and ensure tenants are not exposed to retaliatory eviction more resource must also be made available so that officers on the ground can do more than just investigate complaints made.”
The CIEH Survey of Local Authority Regulatory Activity under the Housing Act 2004 assessed levels of enforcement following a change in the way that housing conditions were assessed - amid concern that the system was not being used because it was too complex.
Reviewing the last year of the former inspection regime and the first year of the HHSRS, the research shows that there has actually been an increase in regulatory activity. It is anticipated that this will increase again next year.
Informal action remains the most frequent used method of securing improvements in housing conditions, possibly indicating that formal action is taken only against unco-operative landlords.
According to the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) 2005 there are 6.8 million homes in the private sector are categorised as non-decent and 4.25 million have Category 1 hazards (the most serious). To be decent a home must contain no Category 1 hazards as assessed by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
To read the report in full, please click here.
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