UKThe property I'm renting has a Category 1 hazard. What should happen?
Your landlord must take urgent action to fix the Category 1 hazard, as it poses a serious risk to health or safety — the local council can serve an improvement notice or emergency remedial action notice if they fail to act.
What the Law Says
The Housing Act 2004 introduced the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), which requires local authorities to assess rental properties for hazards — including Category 1 hazards, the most serious type.
A Category 1 hazard is defined under the HHSRS as a condition that poses a serious and immediate risk to a tenant’s health or safety — for example, exposed live wiring, severe damp and mould, or structural instability.
Under section 11 of the Housing Act 2004, local housing authorities have a duty to inspect properties where a Category 1 hazard is suspected and take enforcement action if necessary.
If a Category 1 hazard is confirmed, the council must serve an improvement notice on the landlord, requiring works to be completed within a minimum of 21 days — unless the hazard is so urgent that emergency action is needed.
Statutory Textc. 34
— Housing Act 2004, s. 11
What to Do
Contact your local council’s environmental health or housing standards team to report the hazard.
Request a formal HHSRS inspection — councils must carry this out if there’s reasonable cause to suspect a Category 1 hazard.
Keep records: photos, dates, communications with landlord and council.
If the landlord fails to act after an improvement notice, the council may carry out emergency works and recover costs — or prosecute the landlord.
You may also be entitled to rent repayment orders or compensation if the hazard made the property unfit for habitation.
Sources
Not legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: 2026-06-08.