Housing associations, managing agents and inspection companies working in Cardiff run HHSRS programmes under Wales's regulatory framework. Here's what applies, how often it's due, and how local providers manage it with Kaarr.
HHSRS applies in Wales under the Housing Act 2004 and sits alongside the Fitness for Human Habitation requirements of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for social homes.
Cardiff Council is the local housing authority. Every private landlord and letting agent in Wales must be registered and licensed through Rent Smart Wales, which Cardiff Council hosts on behalf of Welsh local authorities, and homes must be fit for human habitation under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue authority.
Rows of Victorian terraces in areas such as Cathays and Splott sit alongside post-war council estates, and social landlords here work to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023, which sets decarbonisation and quality targets beyond the older standard.
Wales applies the rating system through its own instrument, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (Wales) Regulations 2006, which list 29 hazards and sort harm into four classes. Cardiff Council's October 2022 Cabinet report on renewing additional licensing in Cathays shows how it is used locally. Officers carried out an HHSRS inspection in every Cathays case where an HMO licence was processed. They found 396 Category 1 hazards during the previous five-year scheme, and landlords had dealt with only 112 when the report was written. About 85 per cent of licences issued (1,156) carried works conditions. The share of Category 1 hazards found fell from 26 per cent in the first scheme to 8 per cent. Category 1 hazards place the council under a duty to act, while Category 2 hazards give it a power. The figures date from 2022, and designation areas can change.
The workflow, report template and scheduling for HHSRS are the same in every city. See how Kaarr runs HHSRS, then book a demo with your Cardiff stock in mind.
Cardiff is in Wales, so the governing framework is: Housing Act 2004, Part 1 · Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. HHSRS applies in Wales under the Housing Act 2004 and sits alongside the Fitness for Human Habitation requirements of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 and the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for social homes.
Kaarr's recommended cadence: a full 29-hazard baseline assessment before onboarding any property, quarterly walkthrough checks, and a full annual reassessment. All other statutory reports are collected and verified before onboarding completes.
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