Private Sector Housing Complaints
We are responsible for ensuring that housing within the district meets the requirements of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System allows the assessment of the main potential housing related hazards. There are 29 hazards in total which include;
- Damp and Mould Growth
- Excess Cold
- Crowding and Space
- Electrical Hazards
- Falling on Stairs
- Structural Collapse and Falling Elements
On receipt of a complaint about housing conditions an inspection of the property is undertaken and the hazards are scored. Issues will then be raised with the landlord of the property. If required enforcement powers are available to ensure that necessary works are undertaken.
We have a duty to take the most appropriate action in relation to the hazard., although we will try to deal with problems informally at first. Appropriate action could be to serve a notice for the landlord to carry out improvements to the property, for example to install heating or insulation, fix a rail to steep stairs, or mend a leaking roof.
If it is considered the most appropriate action, the council can implement any of the following:
- Serve an improvement notice requiring remedial works (the most likely action)
- Make a prohibition order, which closes the whole or part of a dwelling or restricts the number of permitted occupants
- Serve a hazard awareness notice
- Take emergency remedial action
- Make a emergency prohibition Order
- Make a demolition Order
- Include the property in a clearance area
