The 13 hazard types: overview

The hazard type chosen when a job is raised decides which wizard sections a surveyor sees, which report template is used, which AI assistance is offered, and whether a statutory clock applies. This article lists all 13 and how to pick between them.

What it is

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System recognises 21 hazard profiles (HHSRS (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/571, in force 23 June 2026). HousingSurvey Pro currently registers 13 of those 21 as capturable hazard types, each with its own wizard sections, its own report template, and (where one applies) its own place in the Awaab’s Law statutory framework:

Hazard type	Statutory position
Damp & mould	Phase 1 — in force since 27 October 2025
Excess cold	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Excess heat	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Falls on the level	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Falling on stairs etc.	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Falling between levels	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Structural collapse	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Fire and explosions	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Electrical hazards	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Domestic hygiene	Phase 2 — capturable now, clock not yet commenced
Asbestos	No Awaab’s Law clock — governed by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 instead
Indoor air quality	No live clock — not yet a confirmed Awaab’s Law phase
Radon	No live clock — not yet a confirmed Awaab’s Law phase

Every hazard listed as Phase 2 above is already in scope today the moment a case is judged an emergency — Phase 1 already covers any emergency hazard, of any type. See Phase 1 today and Phase 2: capturing before it commences for the full detail.

Falls is one HHSRS category split into three separate profiles — falls on the level (including falls associated with baths), falling on stairs, and falling between levels. They share one on-site capture module because a surveyor inspecting a staircase or a landing records the same things regardless of which profile applies, but each is scored, triaged and reported as its own hazard type — never merged into a single row.

How to do it

1. When raising a survey, the Hazard type fieldset on the New survey form lists every hazard type your organisation has enabled, as a set of radio options. Damp & mould is the default if none is picked.
2. Pick the hazard that matches the job. If the job is a general/routine repair with no HHSRS hazard behind it, leave the hazard type unset — job type alone decides the record then, and no hazard-specific sections or statutory clock apply.
3. Once picked, everything downstream follows automatically: the capture app shows only that hazard’s wizard sections, the report uses that hazard’s template and title, and the on-site AI buttons (where offered) use that hazard’s own preset.

Before you start

An organisation can narrow which hazard types its own New survey form offers, in Settings → App configuration → Hazards. If a hazard type you expect is missing from the picker, it has been switched off there, not removed from the platform.

How it integrates

The hazard type drives four things from one registry entry: the ordered set of wizard sections the capture app activates for the job; the report template and title used when the record is finalised; the AI preset (and, where registered, the image-analysis result vocabulary and the executive-summary grounding fields) offered on-site; and whether — and under which basis — a statutory clock is stamped onto the work order at all. Every hazard type also carries the same two hazard-agnostic wizard steps: Hazard Triage (the surveyor’s own significant-vs-emergency judgement, evidenced against GOV.UK’s guidance) and Emergency Actions (the 24-hour make-safe record, shown only once a case is judged an emergency).

Common problems

• A hazard type I expect isn’t in the picker. Check Settings → App configuration → Hazards — an admin may have narrowed the enabled list for your organisation.
• The job has no due date at all. Some hazards carry no statutory clock today — see Jobs with no statutory clock, and internal targets for exactly which, and why.
• I only see one “Falls” section but the report mentions a specific profile. That’s expected — falls-level, falls-stairs and falls-between-levels share one capture module but are three distinct, separately-reported hazard types.