HHSRS and Empty Homes: Using Legal Powers to Bring Properties Back into Use

Speakers

Shaun Moss
Director
Surrey Property Licensing
Shaun Moss is a highly experienced ex-local government housing enforcement manager.
UK
Webinar date: April 30, 2026 10:30 am
Webinar length: 45
Type:  Recorded
CPD: 1

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Empty homes are a growing challenge across England, with over 1 million properties now standing vacant, including more than 300,000 long-term empty homes.

In this comprehensive on-demand session, Sean Moss, Director of Surrey Property Licensing, provides a practical, legally grounded exploration of how local authorities can respond. Drawing on extensive frontline experience, Sean explains how the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS)—often associated with occupied housing—plays a critical role in assessing risk, supporting enforcement decisions, and enabling intervention in empty properties.

The webinar covers:

  • The scale and impact of empty homes on communities, safety, and housing supply
  • How HHSRS provides a defensible, evidence-based framework for intervention
  • The full range of enforcement powers available under the Housing Act 2004 and related legislation
  • Practical use of tools such as Improvement Notices, Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs), Compulsory Purchase Orders, and Enforced Sale
  • The indirect impact of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on enforcement and housing strategy

With a strong emphasis on real-world application, the session highlights how risks escalate in vacant properties—from structural hazards to anti-social behaviour—and demonstrates how early, proportionate intervention can prevent long-term decline.

Host

Muhammad Uddin
Public Sector Development Manager
Finders International
Muhammad Uddin previously worked in housing for 17 years within the Social Housing and Private Sector Hosting. His most recent experience was with a local authority in Leicestershire, where he worked as an Empty Homes Officer, with a proven track record of successfully bringing 196 empty properties back into use. Muhammad has experience dealing with all empty homes related issues within the private sector, working in partnership with home owners, carrying out property inspections for housing standards, HHSRS property inspections, and offering grants and property maintenance advice to property owners. Muhammad also managed acquisition with annual budget of £10m used to purchase empty properties and properties on the market in dealing with the Housing shortage councils are facing.

Supporting Documents

File Name
Type
Action
File Name:
Finders International: Empty Homes Service Booklet
pdf
Type

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