Independent · South Wales & Bristol
WHQS, HHSRS & Awaab's Law Combined Compliance Survey
Three compliance areas. One visit. SPS delivers a single combined inspection that covers Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), HHSRS hazard assessment and the applicable damp and mould requirements — reducing disruption to tenants and giving your asset team a complete compliance picture in one report.
Why a Combined Survey?
Welsh housing associations operate under overlapping compliance requirements, with different timescales and reporting obligations. Commissioning separate surveys for each creates duplication, increases cost, and means multiple visits to the same properties.
SPS has developed a combined inspection approach that captures the data required for all three frameworks in a single visit — reducing tenant disruption, cutting costs and delivering a unified compliance report your asset team can act on immediately.
What the Three Frameworks Require
WHQS — Welsh Housing Quality Standard: The Welsh Housing Quality Standard 2023 sets the minimum standard that all social landlords in Wales must meet by 2033. It covers the physical condition of properties, energy efficiency, safety and management standards. A WHQS survey assesses current compliance and identifies the investment required to meet the standard.
HHSRS — Housing Health and Safety Rating System: The HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) is the legal framework for assessing health and safety hazards in residential properties. It covers 29 hazard categories including damp, excess cold, falls, electrical hazards and structural issues. Category 1 hazards carry a legal duty to act. A proactive HHSRS programme is essential risk management for housing associations.
Awaab's Law and Welsh hazard-response requirements: Awaab's Law sets investigation and remediation timeframes for social landlords in England. In Wales, the WHQS addendum introduced hazard-response requirements from 1 April 2026. Our combined survey supports the applicable framework, with evidence for investigation, tenant communication and remedial action.
What Our Combined Survey Covers
- Full room-by-room property condition assessment — capturing component age, defects and remaining useful life for WHQS compliance
- HHSRS hazard assessment across all 29 hazard categories — Category 1 and Category 2 scoring and prioritisation
- Damp, mould and condensation inspection — root cause analysis and evidence-based reporting for Awaab's Law compliance
- Ventilation assessment — identifying inadequate or failed ventilation as a contributing cause of damp and condensation
- Thermal imaging where required — identifying cold bridging and hidden moisture not visible to the naked eye
- Energy efficiency data capture — feeding into EPC and WHQS energy standard requirements
- Photographic evidence linked to individual findings throughout
One Report — Three Compliance Areas
On completion of each survey, your asset team receives a single consolidated report covering all three compliance frameworks. The report clearly separates WHQS findings, HHSRS hazard scores and Awaab's Law damp and mould evidence — with prioritised recommendations and suggested timescales for action.
All data is also captured through our property data platform, giving your asset management team real-time access to compliance status across your stock as surveys are completed.
The Business Case
- One visit per property instead of three — reducing tenant disruption and contractor costs
- A single unified report instead of three separate documents — reducing time spent by asset management teams
- Data captured once and used across all three frameworks — no duplication of effort
- A complete picture of each property's compliance position in one place
- Faster identification of properties with multiple compliance issues — allowing prioritised investment decisions
SPS is TrustMark licensed and PAS 2035 compliant — with the expertise to assess properties across all three frameworks accurately and independently. We have no financial interest in the works that follow — our recommendations are based solely on what each property requires.
Welsh Government guidance on WHQS hazard-response requirements