Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 21
4th Report – Housing Conditions in the Social Rented Sector
Published 9 Feb 2026
Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Housing Conditions in England All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
In response to this report, the Government must set out the timeframe for creating a statutory, UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman and the details of the mandatory consumer code developers will need to abide by. (Recommendation, Paragraph 77) 49
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, 4th Report – Housing Conditions in the Social Rented Sector (HC 1154), 9 February 2026
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 28 April 2026 (deadline 9 April 2026).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government sets out its five-step plan for a "decade of renewal" in response to the nine recommendations, and on several points (such as interim Decent Homes targets and a periodic review of the standard) points to existing or planned measures rather than adopting the proposal as framed.
- On the Long-Term Housing Strategy, the government says it will publish it "shortly". It confirms a 10-year, £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme.
- On Awaab's Law, the government gives no timeline for extending it. It says it is undertaking a "test and learn approach before extending the requirements to other hazards" and will develop guidance for phases 2 and 3.
- On reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, the government "recognise[s] that expectations change so there will come a point where a review of the standard is necessary", but sets no 10-year cycle. Landlords have until 2035 to meet the modernised standard.
- On fuel poverty, the government retains the LILEE metric "as the most effective measure of progress to 2030" and introduces a new affordability indicator.