Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 17
It is not possible to gauge exactly how prevalent poor quality is within the social...
Conclusion
It is not possible to gauge exactly how prevalent poor quality is within the social housing sector. Given that the English Housing Survey (EHS) estimated that 13% of homes in the social rented sector failed to meet the decent homes standard in 2020, it is fair to conclude that the majority of homes are decent, although we note that this is based on an outdated decent homes standard. It is equally apparent, however, that the condition of some of the stock has deteriorated so far as to be unfit for human habitation and that the impact on the mental and physical health of those affected is extremely serious. According to the EHS, 5% of social housing contains a category 1 hazard. This might be less than in the private rented sector, but it still equates to an unacceptable number of homes.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that the majority of social housing in England is of a decent standard and that examples of disrepair highlighted by the Inquiry are not representative of the majority of social housing tenants’ experiences.
Paragraph Reference:
17
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
2. We agree with the Committee’s conclusion that the majority of social housing in England is of a decent standard. Our experience as the sector’s regulator is that the examples of disrepair that we see in our case work and highlighted by the Inquiry, while wholly unacceptable, are not representative of the majority of social housing tenants’ experiences. (Paragraph 18)