Source of tools

Name of the tool
Housing Quality Indicators (HQI)

Where is tool available from
Now available on the net from ODPM (or from BRE for a cost. BRE will also provide training on it at a cost). ODPMs website is:
http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/downloadable/opdm_house_601913.pdf

When was the tool produced
First published in February 1999, a later edition was published in October 2000, and it is intended that the Indicators will be updated as basic standards evolve and the system can be adapted over time to meet new circumstances and varied needs.

Is support provided
No

Organisation/s that developed the tool and country of origin
Country where the tool was produced: UK

Organisation and author/s that produced the tool:
The then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) and the Housing Corporation wished to bring measures of quality into the assessment procedure, in order to ensure that public funding achieved the best value for money. On behalf of DETR and the Corporation, DEGW undertook a feasibility study into Housing Quality Indicators between February and July 1996.DEGW were commissioned to proceed with the next stage of the project, between October 1996 and August 1998: the development of a workable set of indicators.

Organisations/ departments also involved in the design/development of the tool:
In September 1999, DETR commissioned DEGW to conduct a series of pilot trials of the Housing Quality Indicator (HQI) system over a wider range of Housing schemes. The aim of the research was to carry out HQI assessments on a wider range of housing developments of varying sizes and types, from the public and private sectors. In total, thirty-one schemes were assessed. The pilot trial sample was selected to provide a range of schemes to broadly reflect housing diversity, tenure, size, location and housing type. It was not intended to be statistically representative of the UK housing stock. HQI scores calculated for these schemes were then compared with the perceptions of residents, landlords/developers and the research team.

Organisation/s funded development of the tool:
DETR and the Housing Corporation.

Is the tool newly developed or based on an exisiting tool
Building Regulations, as well as other mandatory or recommended standards (e.g. SAP, Design of Lifetime Homes, Secured by Design, BREEAM) are the basis for much of the material in the Indicators.

Cost of the full tool
From BRE for a cost. Cost is not specified.