Feeling the heat: the dangers of letting your buy-to-let get too hot

This year has been exceptional for summer weather and long-standing records have tumbled. By mid-July, the Met Office said it had recorded more days above 30°C than the whole of 1976. The latter is the legendary summer that saw 15 consecutive days above 32°C, with a brutal 16-month drought.

We have really felt this heat in 2026, becoming the first year on record to reach 35°C in May, June and July. The number of ‘tropical nights’ (when the temperature does not fall below 20°C) and stifling humidity levels have also been exceptional, rendering much of the UK a hot mess.

The future’s bright…and hot

Summer 2025 was officially the warmest summer on record for the UK but we can almost guarantee 2026 will displace last year. As for the future, The Climate Change Committee has warned 92% of existing homes could be at risk of overheating by 2050.

So, can it ever be too hot for tenants? In the UK, there is no maximum legal temperature limit for domestic houses or private rentals. That doesn’t mean landlords can sit back and sip a cold drink.

Landlords can’t lose their cool

There is something called the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) in England and Wales. It forms part of the Decent Homes Standards that private landlords have to abide by. The Government defines HHSRS as a tool to ‘assess a property and identify risks in the home that may impact the health, safety and wellbeing of you, your family or your visitors.’

There is no such framework in Scotland but living standards are maintained using a combination of The Tolerable Standard, The Repairing Standard and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS).

Excess heat is a major hazard

The HHSRS was reformed on 23rd June 2026 and landlords should familiarise themselves with the changes. The number of hazard categories have reduced from 29 to 21 and a high, medium or low risk classification system has replaced the A to J bands.

One of the 21 categories is excess heat, relating to physiological requirements. Excess heat is considered a major hazard. It’s something that builds when a lack of ventilation causes a property to become overheated, airless and stifling. 

The council will step in  

A tenant who feels the temperature or condition inside their home is unbearable can complain to the landlord or their letting agent. If nothing is done to improve conditions, they can take their complaint to the local council, who will use the HHSRS framework to make an assessment. 

Don’t forget, if a local council feels a hazard presents an immediate risk to health and safety, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 made it possible for them to access any property without the requirement to give 24 hours’ notice.

The focus of a physical assessment will be the condition of the property and how this may create a genuine health risk to the tenant. A local council housing officer will look

for or at the following aspects:

• Windows that are painted shut

• Doors and windows that are unsafe to open

• Presence of exterior shades, shutters and awnings

• Ventilation levels

• The property’s aspect, especially if it faces south

• Effectiveness of central heating controls

• Solar gain from expanses of glass, skylights and windows

• Poorly fitted insulation

• Heat deflection measures, such as window film  

The officer will also keep the most vulnerable person in the household in mind when making their assessment. In terms of excess heat, this will be babies, young infants, the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. They will assess how likely excess heat may cause harm in the next 12 months. Harm has four classifications: moderate, serious, severe and extreme.

Remedies and penalties

The action that follows depends on the seriousness of the excess heat hazard. Where the heat hazard is minor, the landlord may be given written advice via a Hazard Awareness Notice. 

A private landlord, however, can be forced to make improvements if the heat hazard is classed as category 1. In the most serious of cases, a local council can themselves make immediate changes.

Landlords can also be fined, prosecuted and, in the most serious cases, banned from renting a property. Other actions can include a rent repayment order, or the council undertaking the work and billing the landlord.

Keeping tenants cool

There are a number of ways a landlord can keep temperatures down in a buy-to-let they own. Methods include: 

• fitting external shades, shutters or awnings

• installing air conditioning

• applying heat reducing window film

• ensuring tenants can open all windows and doors safely

• painting exterior render alight-colour or in solar reflective paint 

• improving insulation and cross-ventilation

• making sure heating controls and thermostats are working

We’re here to help you create a comfortable living environment for your tenants. Get in touch if you would like compliance advice.