Shortened the required vacancy period for empty home management orders and removed specific administrative requirements for council applications.

This Order reduces the time a dwelling must be unoccupied before a local housing authority can apply for an interim Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO) from two years to six months.

It removes certain administrative requirements that local authorities were previously required to meet when submitting applications to a residential property tribunal.

These changes apply to local housing authorities in England for any new applications submitted on or after 5 November 2026.

Adjusted the transitional inspection date in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System from 22 June to 23 June 2026 to correct a drafting error.

These Regulations amend the transitional provisions related to housing health and safety inspections in England by changing a reference date.

They ensure that the transitional rules for how dwellings are assessed by local housing authorities align with the commencement date of June 23, 2026.

The instrument applies to the Secretary of State and local authorities responsible for enforcing housing standards under the Housing Act 2004.

These Regulations amended the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005 by simplifying hazard scoring, redefining fire hazards, replacing the A-J band structure with High, Medium, and Low bands, renaming the classes of harm, and updating the specified hazard conditions within Schedule 1.

These Regulations, made under the Housing Act 2004, amend the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005 to simplify and clarify the methodology used by local authorities to assess housing hazards and determine if they constitute a Category 1 or Category 2 hazard.

Key changes involve redefining prescribed fire hazards to explicitly cover risks like explosions and structural collapse due to fire, simplifying the hazard seriousness scoring tables, replacing the previous A-J hazard bands with High, Medium, and Low categories, renaming the four classes of harm (I to IV become Extreme to Moderate), and updating the detailed list of specific hazards found in Schedule 1, while providing a transitional rule ensuring the amendments only apply to inspections commenced on or after June 22nd, 2026.

The 2025 regulations amended the 2024 Student Accommodation Regulations, updated codes of practice for student housing, specified relevant educational establishments, and revoked superseded regulations.

These regulations amend the 2024 Student Accommodation Regulations to update codes of management practice for student housing in England.

Key changes include the approval of a new Universities UK/GuildHE Accommodation Code of Practice, the specification of educational establishments under the Housing Act 2004, and the revocation of several superseded regulations.

The amendments aim to improve standards, clarify application, and streamline the regulatory framework for student housing.