A Reformed Decent Homes Standard for Social and Privately Rented Homes Consultation
Ministerial Foreword
Everyone deserves the security and comfort of a safe, warm and decent home. Yet far too many of those living in social and privately rented homes have to put up with substandard conditions. Today, 10% of homes in the Social Rented Sector (SRS), and a staggering 21% of homes in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) are non-decent.
Alongside our commitment to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation, this government is determined to drive a transformational and lasting change in the quality and safety of social housing.
The last Labour Government introduced the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) to the SRS in 2001. In the nearly quarter of a century since, millions of social housing tenants have benefited from a programme that saw their homes upgraded, made safer, and maintained to a good standard.
However, the DHS in its current form no longer reflects the present-day needs of tenants or landlords and it is falling short when it comes to addressing fundamental problems with our social housing stock. For these reasons and more, it needs to be modernised.
It also needs to be expanded because when it comes to quality and safety, transformational and lasting change cannot be confined only to those in social rented homes. Regardless of who is your landlord, there should be a universally accepted and understood minimum standard of safe and decent housing for all tenants and landlords across the country. That is why our Renters’ Rights Bill extends the DHS to the PRS for the first time.
The proposals in this consultation are designed to ensure that all tenants feel safe, secure and proud of their homes and that all landlords have a clear understanding of the standards they are expected to uphold. We appreciate fully that the latter want as much certainty as possible in order to plan for the future. That is why we are consulting on these changes at the same time as providing clarity and certainty on future regulation on quality and safety and grant funding support for Registered Providers.
We know that decent housing helps families and children flourish; supports thriving neighbourhoods; and improves physical and mental health outcomes. We also know that the opposite is true and that the most hazardous conditions can prove fatal. The shameful death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 as a result of prolonged exposure to damp and mould threw into sharp relief the need for renewed action to promptly address hazards in homes.
That is why, alongside introducing Awaab’s Law to both rented sectors, we are adding a new criterion to the DHS – Criterion E – which sets an ambitious, standalone standard to deal with damp and mould. This will help protect tenants from the serious health risks associated with these hazards and ensure that no other family endures what Awaab and his family suffered.
We invite tenants, landlords and others to comment on our proposals, both those we believe are essential and those where we have made clear we require more evidence before arriving at a final decision. Please let us have your views, as well as suggestions for improvements and how they can be made.