FOI request (FOIR-702897507)

Housing Renewal Team Investigation of Sound Insulation and Laminate Flooring under HHSRS

Requested Fri 04 April 2025
Responded Wed 14 May 2025

I am seeking details on how the Housing Renewal Team investigates sound insulation issues in housing association flats, particularly where laminate or other hard flooring may contribute to excessive noise, and how such issues are assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Please provide the following:

1. Does the Housing Renewal Team investigate complaints about poor sound insulation in housing association flats, specifically where laminate or hard flooring may be a factor?

2. In what circumstances would noise from flooring be considered a hazard under the HHSRS?

3. What policies, procedures, or guidance does the Council follow when assessing these issues in housing association properties?

4. In the past five years, has the Council taken any enforcement action in housing association flats where hard flooring was found to contribute to a sound insulation hazard? If so, please provide summary details, including the type of action taken and the hazard cited.

5. Does the Council issue guidance to housing associations on appropriate flooring to minimise noise transmission?

If any of this information is already publicly available, please direct me to where it can be found.

I would prefer to receive the information in PDF format.

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Response

The Freedom of Information Act is based on recorded information held by a local authority. It is not a tool to ask questions.

1. This is not a request for recorded information.

2. This is not a request for recorded information.

3. The Council's involvement in relation to residential properties is governed by legislation. The Housing Act 2004 Section 2(2) prescribes the process to be used for assessing properties in respect of specified hazards (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/2).

This is further qualified in The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (England) Regulations 2005 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/3208/contents/made).

There is government guidance with regards to the application of HHSRS assessments and each hazard has identified a list of matters to be considered under each of the prescribed hazards (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a78d3d940f0b62b22cbd1d6/142631.pdf).

For noise it reads as follows:

"Relevant matters affecting likelihood and harm outcome

14.19 Matters relevant to the likelihood of an occurrence and the severity of the outcomes include:

a) Site of dwelling – located in a particularly noisy environment.

b) Internal insulation – inadequate construction and/or insulation of floor/ceiling structure within the dwelling or between the dwelling and other premises.

c) External insulation – inadequate levels of sound insulation to external structure.

d) Disrepair – despair of windows and/or external or internal doors allowing increased noise penetration.

e) Siting of plumbing – inappropriate siting of plumbing fittings and/or facilities.

f) Equipment – noisy equipment or facilities.

g) Door closers – overly powerful mechanisms resulting in banging."

The Council has a duty to act where any hazard scores as a Category 1 hazard when the HHSRS assessment has been applied. Every Council will have its own enforcement policy and ours is attached here (https://www.hastings.gov.uk/housing/improvement/housing_renewal_enforcement_policy/).

4. Zero

5. This is not a request for recorded information.