Healthy Homes Specialist Credential

List of Healthy Homes Specialists by state

NCHH and the  National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) offer a “Healthy Homes Specialist” credential, designed for health and housing professionals in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.


To achieve the credential, individuals must complete a comprehensive exam on the seven principles of healthy housing: keeping homes Dry, Clean, Pest-Free, Contaminant-Free, Ventilated, Safe, and Maintained. Individuals seeking the Healthy Homes Specialist credential must:

  1. Be at least 21 years of age;
  2. Have five years of experience in housing, environmental health, or public health; and
  3. Achieve a minimum score of 70% on the qualifying examination.
You may apply for the HHS credential by completing an application. For more information, go to www.neha.org/credential/HHS. See below for cost of applying for and taking the HHS exam. For more information on this credential, you can read the Healthy Homes Specialist Candidate Information Brochure, Credential Fact Sheet. You may also contact NEHA's credentialing staff at 303.756.9090 x339.

Non members$310
Members$175
Extra for computer exam
$100
Exam retake for non-members
$225
Exam retake for members
$125
Credential renewal for non-members
$225
Credential renewal for members
$125

Candidates should review the online references in order to prepare for the exam. They may also want to take NCHH's two-day Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners course. The course covers most--but not all--of the topics on the exam. For the convenience of students who take the course, the exam will usually be offered at the end of the second day of the training.

The Healthy Homes Specialist Examination is also available via computer-based testing at Pearson VUE.

Questions?  Please contact credentialing@neha.org or check out the Credential fact sheet.


For more information about the Healthy Homes Training Center, please email Laura Titus at Healthy Housing Solutions. For more information about the visual assessment exercises, please email Laura Fudala at the National Center for Healthy Housing. For more information about the examination and the application process, please contact credentialing@neha.org.

Target Audiences for Credential
While training is not a prerequisite to obtaining a credential, individuals who have completed the two-day Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners course offered by the National Healthy Homes Training Center and Network will have the foundation they need to succeed. As of August 2011, more than 7500 people have taken the Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners course at one of the 250-plus sessions offered since its launch on June 1, 2005. All course materials, including the exercises and videos, are available on-line.

 A variety of professionals may be interested in the Healthy Homes Specialist Credential, including the following:

  1. Individuals who have been certified or licensed as lead risk assessors, radon measurement professionals, or mold professionals. These individuals have developed a basic expertise in a specific environmental hazard in the home and should be interested in expanding their capability and services.
  2. NEHA Registered Environmental Health Specialists seeking to document their experience and expertise in housing.
  3. Public health nurses seeking to document their expertise in healthy homes.
  4. Health department and housing agency staff seeking to document their expertise in healthy homes or better position their agencies to receive HUD healthy homes grants. 
  5. Licensed pest management professionals seeking to expand their services. Resolving pest problems using integrated pest management essentially relies on a knowledge base similar to the Healthy Homes Practitioner.
  6. Certified home inspectors seeking to expand their business by adding healthy homes to their standard services

Existing NEHA Credentials

    Onsite Wastewater System Installers
    Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS)
    Certified Food Safety Professional (CFSP)
    Certified Environmental Health Technician (CEHT)
    Registered Environmental Technician (RET)
    Registered Hazardous Substances Professional (RHSP)
    Registered Hazardous Substances Specialist (RHSS)
    NEHA's National Radon Proficiency Program
 

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