Can I get a free Healthy Homes assessment?

Yes, if you do it yourself. Tenancy Services publishes, free, the tools any assessment rests on: the heating assessment tool, insulation and ventilation tools, checklists, a technical guide for each standard and the compliance statement template. Getting professional advice is voluntary, so a careful landlord with safe access to the ceiling space and subfloor can assess the property and collect the evidence at no cost.

The official free tools

• Heating assessment tool. Enter the property's location, age and the main living room's measurements, walls, windows, floor and ceiling, and it gives the minimum heating capacity in kilowatts. You can save progress and come back to it by an emailed link, which expires after 60 days. Keep the result: Tenancy Services lists a printout from the tool as a record that can show compliance.
• Insulation tool and ventilation tool, which help you work out whether insulation needs upgrading and whether each kitchen and bathroom needs a new extractor fan.
• The landlord toolkit: a guide, a checklist of work needed to meet the standards, and a one-page checklist for keeping the property up to standard.
• A technical guide for each of the five standards.
• The compliance statement template, which also shows exactly which facts you will need to record.

A self-assessment, in order

1. Heating: measure the main living room, run the heating tool, then compare its answer with the rated output of the fixed heater. The rating plate, manual or installation invoice will usually show it.
2. Insulation: where it is safe, look into the ceiling space and subfloor. Note the type, measure thickness with a tape measure in the photo, and look for gaps, damp, mould or damage.
3. Ventilation: check each living room, dining room, kitchen and bedroom has a window, skylight or door that opens to the outside and can be fixed open. Run each kitchen and bathroom fan and confirm it vents outside.
4. Moisture and drainage: walk the outside in the rain if you can, watching gutters, downpipes and drains. If the subfloor is enclosed, check for a ground moisture barrier.
5. Draught stopping: feel for draughts around doors, windows, floors and ceilings on a cold day, and check any open fireplace is blocked or agreed in writing.

Photograph as you go, so every finding has a date. Landy's free self-assessment runs through the same sequence, and the free statement builder turns the answers into a compliance statement for you to check and sign.

What free routes cannot do

• Get you safely into a space you should not enter. Tenancy Services warns against going into spaces with known hazards such as asbestos dust or poorly installed wiring. A tight or wet subfloor is a reason to pay someone, not to take a risk.
• Tell you the R-value of insulation with no label or paperwork. If you cannot find it, the statement template accepts thickness at last inspection, but some installations need a specialist to judge.
• Give an independent opinion for an exemption. Where something cannot reasonably be installed, Tenancy Services suggests getting written reasons from a professional installer.
• Handle rooms the tool struggles with. For irregular or sloped ceilings the heating tool usually overestimates the capacity needed, and a professional or the full calculation may save you buying a bigger heater than required.
• Use the alternative heating pathway, which needs a qualified heating specialist.
• Do the work. Electrical, gas, plumbing, drainlaying and restricted building work need licensed tradespeople.

What about "free assessments" from companies?

If a business offers a free Healthy Homes check, it is usually paid for some other way, most often by quoting for the work it finds. That can still be useful. Just read the report as you would a quote: check its numbers against the official tool, and remember that no assessor can sign your compliance statement for you. There is more on choosing someone in who can do a Healthy Homes assessment.

The assessment is only the free half. If it turns up work to be done, the cost of that work usually falls on the landlord. The page on grants for landlords covers what funding exists and how tax treats the spending.