Third of private rental homes 'have safety hazards' | Money | guardian.co.uk

Third of private rental homes 'have safety hazards' | Money | guardian.co.uk

Nearly a third of properties in the private rented sector contain major safety hazards, according to data contained in a government survey of UK housing stock.

The annual English Housing Survey shows that 28.2% of dwellings in the private rented sector have a category 1 hazard compared to 14.5% of local authority housing, 10.8% of housing association accommodation, and 21.5% of owner-occupied dwellings.

Hazards qualifying as category 1 under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System include those that can cause death, lung cancer, permanent loss of consciousness, 80% burn injuries, the loss of a hand or foot, eye disorders, heart attacks and poisoning. Under the Housing Act 2004, these types of hazard create an obligation for local authorities to either force the property to be vacated or to require immediate repair