The government has announced plans to consult on its new Decent Homes Standard, stressing that it will launch this “as soon as possible”. Ultimately, the new standard will apply across both privately rented properties and social housing.
What’s the background?
In a nutshell, the Decent Homes Standard is a technical standard for the UK’s public housing that was first launched in response to an extensive repairs backlog in the sector. It dates back to 2001 and Tony Blair’s government of the time and its Decent Homes Programme. It followed the housing green paper Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All, which then deputy prime minister John Prescott published in 2000, and which highlighted the importance of addressing the repairs backlog.
At the same time, there was an aim to increase the involvement of tenants in local housing decisions.
It was also part of the last government’s Renters (Reform) Bill, paused ahead of this summer’s general election and which has since been relaunched as the new administration’s Renters’ Rights Bill. The current government aims to apply the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector (PRS) through this Bill, although no date has yet been set for its implementation. But Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said she hopes it could be enforced as early as next summer, subject to parliamentary approval. And she told the 2024 Labour Party conference that ‘a wave of bold action’ was required to make all homes ‘decent, safe and warm’.
The initial target was for all social housing to meet the standard by 2010, and the programme has also led to more than a million homes being transferred from local councils to housing associations.
In 2006, the standard was updated to take into account the Housing Act 2004, which included the implementation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHRS). a risk-based evaluation tool to help local councils identify and protect against potential risks to health and safety from any deficiencies found in properties.
What makes a ‘decent’ home?
Under the standard, local councils are responsible for enforcement action, while landlords are legally obliged to comply. Non-compliance will become a criminal offence, and landlords could be banned from letting out places at all in the most serious cases.
A place must meet the following key criteria to qualify under the Decent Homes Standard, including:
- The flat or house must be in a reasonable state of repair: This covers the roof, chimney and indoor facilities such as kitchens and heating systems.
- There must be a reasonable level of thermal comfort: Heating and insulation must be adequate. The former must cover a minimum of two rooms, while landlords must ensure the property is warm enough under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
- The facilities and services provided must be reasonably modern: Kitchens have to be no more than 20 years old, with enough space and a good layout. Bathrooms must also be no older than two decades.
What will be in the new standard?
- Awaab’s Law: The government says it will bring forward Awaab’s Law legislation this autumn for the social rented sector. This requires dangers such as mould and damp to be investigated and rectified to pre-determined timelines.
- New access to information requirements: This mainly affects housing associations, and the government says tenants from 2.5 million households will be able to hold their landlords to account and help improve the quality of relevant services and housing.
- A competence and conduct standard: Again this is mainly for the social rented sector, and aimed at making sure staff have the experience, skills and competencies to carry out their work.
- High-quality housebuilding: The government is bringing forward further plans for this via the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF), following a consultation which closed towards the end of September.
What is the potential cost to landlords?
The 2022-23 English Housing Survey revealed that the typical cost of bringing a non-decent home up to standard was £9,234. In the private rental sector in particular, the median cost was £8,381.
There was a proposal to cap the cost of necessary improvements during the initial consultations on the Renters (Reform) Bill, but that has not been confirmed in the current iteration of the Bill.
Oakfield says
We agree with much of what is outlined in the proposed new Decent Homes Standard, and so broadly welcome the government’s plans, and look forward to their implementation. After all, the notion of decent homes for all is a pretty difficult one to argue with, and we firmly believe in tenants getting a good deal while also sticking up for landlords’ rights.
We know that the overwhelming majority landlords already do an excellent job. And at the original consultation for the standard a couple of years ago, almost four in five (79%) of privately rented properties met the current standard.
But we appreciate that more can and should always be done. And so, working across East Sussex, we’re always happy to chat to landlords about the quality of the homes they let out, and how they could be improved.
From our bases in Hastings, Lewes, Uckfield, Heathfield, Eastbourne and Bexhill, we work with both tenants and landlords – get in touch today or browse our website to learn more. Find our details here.
We also have a strong track record of providing an exceptional block management service, and so can advise on the Decent Homes Standard if you manage an apartment building or estate.