Ageing Better responds to delay in Decent Homes Standard for Renters

The government has confirmed its proposals this week to update the Decent Homes Standard, which currently applies to the social rented sector, and introduce it to the private rented sector. 

The Decent Homes Standard has set a minimum quality standard for all registered providers of social housing to meet since 2001 although it has been almost two decades since the Standard was updated.

For a dwelling to be considered decent under the existing Decent Homes Standard, it must:

• meet the statutory minimum standard for housing and not contain a Category 1 hazard that poses a serious and immediate risk to a person’s health and safety
• be in a reasonable state of repair
• have reasonably modern facilities and services
• provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

Having consulted on the extent to which the Decent Homes Standard should be applied, and the requirements that the legislation will make of private landlords, the government has said it has balanced the cost implications of improving the quality of existing rented homes with the need to increase social and affordable housing supply within its decision-making process.  

It means that several proposals in the consultation have not been taken forward such as requirements to introduce enhanced home security regulations, a mandatory floor coverings requirement, or an obligation for landlords to meet repair standards within the public realm. 

Millie Brown, Deputy Director for Homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, said:

“There’s lots of positive changes within the government’s reforms that will make a material difference to people’s quality of life. In particular, we welcome a minimum damp and mould standard. Our recent research has shown how damp and mould issues disproportionately impact older people, lower income households and people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds.   

“We had hoped that requirements around suitable floor coverings would have been included in the revised Decent Homes Standard. We made the case in our consultation response that floor coverings can help prevent falls and trips which can cause major injury and increased burden on health and social care services and can also reduce exposure to cold and damp. Introducing requirements for landlords to provide them at the start of every tenancy would ensure these benefits are in place from day one, meaning that tenants do not have to wait for a crisis before having them installed.

“But the harsh reality is that this reform may come too late for many people. More than 4,000 people die from cold homes every year. People in the worst housing cannot wait for things to improve in ten years time, they need help now. Ageing Better had called on the government to bring in the new standards by 2030 which we firmly believe would be sufficient time for landlords to enact the necessary changes while minimising the impact on those millions of people forced to live in poor quality housing.”