Under the new health and safety housing Act 2006 you are
required as far as reasonably practicable, to ensure the health and
safety of your tenants.
If you fall into the category of HMO or Landlord licensing then your tenancies will eventually be inspected with respect to your application.
Here is the remit given to the council health and safety inspectors. It contains 29 categories on which they will inspect your property the property is then scored on each section in ten bands from (A to J) with (A) being the most dangerous and (J) being the safest.
Included as part of the dwelling in the inspection are:
(a) any paths, yards, gardens, and outbuildings etc that are associated or for use with, or give access to that dwelling, whether or not they are for the exclusive use of that dwelling, or are shared with other dwellings; and
(b) any rights of way, easements, and common or shared parts and services necessary for the occupation and use of the dwelling, for example non-adopted footpaths, drives, and drains or private sewers.
(c) Where the dwelling is a flat, maisonette or bedsit, as well as including those means of access, amenities and services mentioned above, the dwelling also includes any rooms, passageways, circulation areas, and facilities that are shared or used in common with others, and the common structural elements, such as the roof, walls and foundations. This applies whether or not the flat or bedsit is self-contained.
A single deficiency may in any area can contribute, in different degrees, to more than one hazard.
For example, the single deficiency of disrepair to a ceiling could, dependent upon the nature and extent of that disrepair, lead to the following hazards:
excessive cold (through increased heat loss);
fire (by allowing fire and smoke to spread to other parts of the dwelling);
lead (from old paint);
infections from other sources (by providing means of access and harbourage
for pests); and
noise (because of an increase in noise penetration between rooms).
The Contribution a single deficiency makes to each hazard will vary, perhaps from the relatively insignificant to the substantial.
Similarly, several deficiencies may contribute to the same hazard. e.g. Disrepair to a ceiling, an ill-fitting door, and the lack of a smoke detector may all contribute to the hazard of fire, as each could lead to smoke and flames spreading to other parts of the dwelling without means of detection and warning.
Each inspected area encompasses others within it which could add up, not only to a fail in that area, but also this failure could compromise another areas safety and cause these to fail the inspection as well.
The 29 Health and Safety Catagories for your properties inspection:
(A) Physiological Requirements
1. Damp and mould growth -
- Exposure to house dust mites, damp, mould or fungal growths
2. Excess cold -
- Exposure to low temperatures
3. Excess heat -
- Exposure to high temperatures.
4. Asbestos (and manufactured mineral fibres) -
- Exposure to asbestos fibres or manufactured mineral fibres.
5. Biocides -
- Exposure to chemicals used to treat timber and mould growth
6. Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products - Exposure to:
- (a) carbon monoxide;
- (b) nitrogen dioxide;
- (c) sulphur dioxide and smoke.
7. Lead -
- The ingestion of lead.
8. Radiation -
- Exposure to radiation.
9. Uncombusted fuel gas -
- Exposure to uncombusted fuel gas.
10. Volatile Organic Compounds -
- Exposure to volatile organic compounds such as paints, glues and solvents
11. Crowding & space -
- A lack of adequate space for living and sleeping.
12. Entry by intruders -
- Difficulties in keeping the dwelling secure against unauthorised entry.
13. Lighting -
- A lack of adequate lighting.
14. Noise -
- Exposure to excessive or continuous noise
(B) Protection Against Infection
15. Domestic hygiene, Pests and Refuse,
- Poor design, layout or construction which means that the dwelling cannot be easily cleaned.
- Exposure to pests
- An inadequate provision for the hygienic storage and disposal of household waste.
16. Food Safety -
- An inadequate provision of facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food
17. Personal hygiene, Sanitation and Drainage
- An inadequate provision of facilities for maintaining good personal hygiene; and/or sanitation and drainage.
18. Water supply -
- An inadequate supply of water free from contamination, for drinking and other domestic purposes.
(C) Protection against Accidents
19. Falls associated with toilets, baths, showers or other washing facilities.
20. Falling on level surfaces -
- Falling on any level surface or falling between surfaces where the change in level is less than 300 millimetres.
21. Falling on stairs -
- Falling on stairs, steps or ramps where the change in level is 300 millimetres or more
22. Falling between levels -
- Falling between levels where the difference in levels is 300 millimetres or more.
23. Electrical hazards –
- Shock and burns as a result of exposure to electricity
24. Fire -
- Exposure to uncontrolled fire and associated smoke
25. Flames, Hot surfaces –
- Contact with controlled fire or flames; and or hot objects, liquid or vapours
26. Collision and entrapment -
- Collision with, or entrapment of body parts in doors, windows or other architectural features.
27. Explosions -
- An explosion at the dwelling
28. Position and operability of amenities etc.-
- The position, location and operability of amenities, fittings and equipment.
29. Structural collapse and falling elements -
- The collapse of the whole or part of the dwelling.