Private Sector Housing

Private Sector Housing

The Council is here to ensure safe and healthy homes for all private residents in Westminster. If you are a freeholder, leaseholder or private tenant, we can advise, support and, in some cases, take direct action where the health and safety of your living environment is threatened.

The Council seeks to improve and maintain standards through:

• Advice and enforcement of the required housing standards;
• Provision of housing grants to help maintain or improve conditions;
• Provision of measures to prevent burglaries and domestic violence and to help reduce the fear of crime;
• Facilitating and encouraging good management practices in the private rented sector;
• Advice, assistance and compulsory purchase to bring empty properties into use.

Who can we help?

• Tenants of Housing Associations and private landlords
• People who own their own homes either as leaseholder or freeholder

In general we respond to any situation where it seems the condition of someone’s home is affecting their health.

If you think that we can help, contact us. Ask for help.

We visit people in their homes and generally assess for hazards under HHSRS.

Improving housing standards

As well as responding to housing problems raised by tenants we also take a proactive approach to ensure that conditions in houses in multiple occupation (HMO) are maintained to a good standard. There is a HMO assessment available on-line.

We operate a licensing scheme for certain type of HMOs.

How can we help?

What happens after you have contacted the Council?
• You should expect to receive a letter providing a reference number and contact details of the case officer who will be dealing with your enquiry.

• You should also expect to receive a call from the case officer within 3 working days of your call.

• The investigating officer will discuss the details of your case with you, confirm whether this is an issue we can potentially enforce and if not provide you with details of who else may be able to assist you.

• The officer, will in most situations, visit and make an assessment of the conditions in your property. The main legislation we use to assess these conditions is called the Housing Act 2004.

• This legislation requires the Council to formally notify both the occupier and the owner of the property of their intention to visit, at least 24 hours before the inspection is due to be carried out. Therefore when making an appointment with you the officer will have to allow adequate time to complete this process first.

How do we investigate your complaint?

• The Housing Act 2004 has introduced a new way in which the Council is required to assess housing conditions. It uses a risk assessment approach called the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

• This considers the effect of a possible 29 prescribed ‘hazards’ in the property. These hazards are then rated according to how serious they are and the effect they are having, or could have, on the occupants of the property. The basic principle is that the property should be safe for occupation.

• HHSRS is quite a complicated process and the officer, once they have conducted their investigation, will need to score the hazards and decide whether the Council can take action on your behalf.

• If the Council is considering serving a formal legal notice then a consultation process is required with all parties concerned, i.e. with you, your landlord and any other relevant parties.

How long does an investigation take?

• The time taken to investigate a complaint and take formal action will vary depending on what action is required and what legislation is being used.

• If an assessment of housing conditions is required using HHSRS then this, for the reasons detailed above, will take longer than other types of complaints; for example pest infestations, leaks, drainage issues etc. The officer should be able to give you an indication at the time of their visit what action they propose to take in your case.

• Once the officer has completed the inspection of your property, scored the hazards etc they will write to you and inform you of what action they propose to take next.

• If your case is still ongoing after 3 months a written progress report will be provided.

What are the likely outcomes of your complaint?

• Residential Environmental Health may not be able to take action on your behalf and should be able to advise you if anyone else may be able to assist you.
• The problem could be resolved informally with your landlord.
• We could take enforcement action on your behalf and serve a legal notice requiring the appropriate person to take action. If at the end of the notice expiry period the appropriate action has not been taken then the Council can consider instructing contractors to carry out the works (known as Works in Default) and / or prosecute.

Contact Details

Westminster City Council
Department of Community Protection
Residential Environmental HealthService
WestminsterCity Hall
4th Floor
64 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6QP