Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Deferred
Paragraph: 66
The rate of non-decency in the private rented sector (PRS) is much higher than in...
Recommendation
The rate of non-decency in the private rented sector (PRS) is much higher than in the social housing sector, so we welcome the introduction of a legally binding decent homes standard (DHS). The cost to landlords of meeting the new standard could, in some instances, become an obstacle to compliance, but we do not think this point should be overstated. As the Government says, four-fifths of PRS homes already Reforming the Private Rented Sector 59 meet the social housing DHS. Furthermore, since compliance with criterion A (the requirement that all homes be free of category 1 hazards) is already effectively a legal requirement, under the Homes (Fit for Human Habitation) Act 2018, this part of the new DHS would not place a significant additional expectation on landlords, and the Government should feel under no obligation to consider the financial burden on landlords whose properties do not comply.
Government Response Summary
The government welcomes the introduction of a legally binding Decent Homes Standard (DHS) and has held technical consultations with stakeholders to consider implementation issues. These include the time landlords need to comply, how to balance certainty and minimum standards, and the need to align implementation with wider reforms to the PRS.
Paragraph Reference:
66
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The government welcomes the introduction of a legally binding Decent Homes Standard (DHS) and is committed to delivering this. The Decent Homes Standard will give tenants safer, better homes, and will make sure all private rented sector homes meet a minimum standard. Many tenants already live in decent homes, but over a fifth of the 4.6 million households that rent privately endure poor conditions, and 14% of homes have hazards that present an imminent risk to health – compared to 10% and 4% in the social rented sector respectively. The Decent Homes Standard will address this. The Standard has four criteria, all of which a home must meet to be considered decent: a) It must meet a minimum standard of repair. b) It must have reasonably modern facilities and services. c) It must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort. d) It must have safe, useable amenities. The government has held technical consultations with stakeholders on how the Decent Homes Standard can be most effectively applied to the PRS. In order to ensure the Standard can be applied effectively to the PRS, the government is considering a number of implementation issues raised through this consultation, including: • The time landlords need to comply. • How to balance greater certainty and minimum standards with the specific and diverse circumstances of the private rented sector. • The need to align implementation with wider reforms to the PRS. For example, landlords will be required to declare that they are meeting the DHS on the new Property Portal. We are working to understand landlords’ circumstances, and how best to support them in complying with the new standard. This includes ensuring that we take a proportionate approach to the costs of meeting the standard, particularly for older properties, by exploring a cap on the costs landlords are expected to meet.