Private tenants - advice and support

What help and advice does the Council provide for private landlords and their tenants?

Our Housing Standards Team provides advice, inspection services and information including:

Latest information

Our Housing Standards Newsletter features news on housing issues for private landlords and information on the help and guidance available. 

Read editions of our Housing Standards Newsletter:

What responsibilities do landlords / managing agents have?

It’s the responsibility of the landlord and / or managing agent of the property to make sure that the property meets all current legal requirements, including the need to be aware of planning and building control matters.

Landlords and managers also have duties under:

  • the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (as amended)
  • the Defective Premises Act 1972
  • the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

You can download the LACORS landlord development manual for further information on landlord responsibilities.

For a wealth of information on housing standards, visit the Decent and Safe Homes in the East Midlands (DASH) website.

What is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System?

Local councils in England use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to assess housing under Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004.

HHSRS allows a local council’s inspecting officer to identify defects in a property, by assessing against 29 hazards. 

The hazards are categorised as:

  • dampness, which may be caused by condensation.  Find advice on Damp and Mould   and ways of reducing condensation in the home 
  • excessive cold / heat –  find advice on Excess cold.
  • pollutants, for example asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead.  Find advice on Asbestos    
  • lack of space, security or lighting, or excessive noise
  • poor hygiene, sanitation, water supply
  • accidents – falls, electric shocks, fires, burns, scalds
  • collisions, explosions, structural collapse.

For more information, read The 29 Hazards: A Landlord's Guide  The inspecting officer will assess each hazard where there is a contributing defect, and give this a score.  If the score is high, the hazard is rated as a Category 1 hazard, which the council must deal with.  All other hazards are Category 2 hazards, which the council has discretionary powers to deal with.

For more information about the enforcement of HHSRS, read Asset Skills’ Housing Health and Safety Rating System: Essential Information for Landlords and Agents

General advice on housing standards

It’s important for landlords to meet required standards and make sure that those standards are maintained.  Regular, good-quality maintenance of the property reduces the costs that will arise from long-term neglect and deterioration, and will help to attract and keep tenants.

The accommodation should be safe and suitable for use at the start of a tenancy and the landlord should continue to keep those standards.

Good management of the property by the landlord includes making sure that the behaviour of the tenants does not have a harmful impact on the immediate neighbours or the wider area.  For example, noise and accumulations of rubbish can be big causes of concern for local residents.

Where properties fail to meet the required standards, the local council will liaise with landlords or managing agents to carry out necessary works.  Where landlords or managing agents fail to cooperate with the local council, there are a number of enforcement options available, including:

  • serving an Improvement Notice, requiring the landlord to carry out works within a given time
  • making a prohibition order, forbidding the use of all or part of the dwelling.

 

Useful forms

Useful links

Contact details

E-mail:
Post address: Housing Standards Team
Celtic House
Heritage Gate
Friary Street
Derby
DE1 1QX
Phone: 01332 642367
Minicom: 01332 256666

Housing Standards Team
Celtic House
Heritage Gate
Friary Street
Derby
DE1 1QX