Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
4th Report – Housing Conditions in the Social Rented Sector
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
HC 1154
Published 9 February 2026
Recommendations
3
Accepted
Publish Long-term Housing Strategy for improving social homes and regenerating existing stock.
Recommendation
The Long-term Housing Strategy must put in place a long-term approach for improving and maintaining social homes and addressing the systemic drivers of poor housing quality, especially a long-term approach to the regeneration of existing social homes. We reiterate our …
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Government Response Summary
The government published a five-step plan including a new 10-year £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, £2.5 billion in low-interest loans, and an extension of the 'preferential' borrowing rate.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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5
Acknowledged
Provide clear roadmap and guidance for the remaining phases of Awaab's Law.
Recommendation
Even though social landlords have been anticipating the introduction of Awaab’s Law for some time, the way the Government managed the introduction of Phase 1 unnecessarily added to the uncertainty and complexity providers had to grapple with to ensure they …
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Government Response Summary
The government responded to its consultation on an updated Decent Homes Standard, designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality and provides certainty to plan and spread costs long-term with a deadline of 2035.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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6
Deferred
Urgently publish timeline for extending Awaab's Law to all hazards by March 2026.
Recommendation
The Government must urgently set and publish the timeline for extending Awaab’s Law to all remaining hazards, so that tenants and social landlords have clarity about when they can expect these new regulations to apply. This should be produced no …
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Government Response Summary
The Government will work with sector bodies to agree a compact, overseen by a taskforce, but provides no specific timeline for extending Awaab's Law to all remaining hazards.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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8
Acknowledged
Urgently provide clarity on funding for social housing retrofit improvements.
Recommendation
The Government needs to urgently provide the sector with clarity on the funding that will be available over the remainder of this Parliament to help providers deliver the necessary improvements. (Recommendation, Paragraph 40)
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Regulator of Social Housing has introduced a new consumer regulation regime and is committed to developing detailed guidance on the revised Decent Homes Standard, but provides no specific details on funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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10
Accepted in Part
Revise fuel poverty definition to include homes meeting minimum energy efficiency standards
Recommendation
In the forthcoming Fuel Poverty Strategy, we recommend that the Government revise the official definition of fuel poverty to reflect the fact that those living in homes compliant with the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard may still struggle to heat …
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Government Response Summary
The government will not revise the official definition of fuel poverty, but will place a stronger emphasis on energy affordability with a new affordability indicator, and will report annually on average required energy costs as a proportion of household income.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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12
Acknowledged
Introduce a process to periodically review and update the Decent Homes Standard
Recommendation
The Government must introduce a process to periodically review and, if necessary, update the Decent Homes Standard at least every 10 years to ensure it reflects the changing needs of the population, environmental pressures, scientific evidence of the hazards to …
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Government Response Summary
The government responded to its consultation on an updated Decent Homes Standard, designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality and provides certainty to plan and spread costs long-term with a deadline of 2035.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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14
Deferred
Introduce interim annual targets for upgrading social homes to revised Decent Homes Standard
Recommendation
The Government must put in place interim targets to demonstrate to tenants and the public that progress is being made. We recommend that the Government introduce interim targets stipulating the percentage of social homes that should be upgraded to the …
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Government Response Summary
The Government will work with sector bodies to agree a compact, overseen by a taskforce, but provides no commitment to interim targets.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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17
Accepted
Publish an assessment of new regulatory requirements' cumulative impact on social home supply
Recommendation
The Government must publish an assessment of the cumulative impact the new regulatory requirements are likely to have on the supply of social homes over the next decade. This assessment should consider how the cumulative costs of the new regulatory …
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Government Response Summary
The government claims the Decent Homes Standard Final Impact Assessment and social housing MEES Impact Assessment already set out potential impacts on the supply of new social housing.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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19
Accepted
Establish a new, modern Decent Homes Programme to raise social housing standards
Recommendation
There is a strong case for the Government to establish a new, modern Decent Homes Programme that supports social landlords to raise the standard of social homes. This programme should consist of: a. a single housing quality framework or strategy …
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Government Response Summary
The government states that the Regulator of Social Housing has introduced a new consumer regulation regime, details its commitment to grant funding, and highlights its work with the industry to provide high-quality training opportunities.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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21
Acknowledged
Set out timeframe for statutory New Homes Ombudsman and mandatory consumer code
Recommendation
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
Government Response Summary
The government remains committed to implementing a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme, but provides no timeframe or details of the consumer code.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Conclusions (11)
1
Conclusion
Deferred
Most social homes provide tenants with warm, safe and decent places to live. The prevalence of poor conditions across the sector is generally lower than in other tenures. However, progress at bringing all social homes up to a minimum standard of decency has almost ground to a halt, with very …
Government Response Summary
The government will set out wider plans for housing in the Long-Term Housing Strategy, which they will publish shortly, bringing together many of the changes that they have already announced and providing long-term certainty on future regulatory requirements.
2
Conclusion
Accepted
We support the Government’s plans to raise the standard of social homes over the next decade, while boosting supply. These actions will go some way to improving the quality and safety of social homes. However, the Government’s plans do not address some of the long-term systemic drivers of poor conditions, …
Government Response Summary
The government states that Phase 1 of Awaab's Law came into force on 27 October 2025, and they are working closely with stakeholders on next steps for phases 2 and 3.
4
Conclusion
Not Addressed
We agree with the Government’s decision to rollout Awaab’s Law in phases, focusing on tackling the most dangerous hazards first. There are risks that efforts to comply with these regulations result in providers diverting resources away from the services they provide to more vulnerable tenants. There is also a risk …
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on the new Fuel Poverty Strategy, energy affordability, and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for social housing, but doesn't address the risks of diverting resources or inconsistent application of Awaab's Law.
7
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Progress at retrofitting social homes needs to accelerate if the sector is going to upgrade the remaining homes up to the required standard by 2030. The Government has not yet provided sufficient clarity to the sector on the funding available for retrofits over the Parliament. (Conclusion, Paragraph 39)
Government Response Summary
The government states it is focused on delivering transformational change and rebuilding financial capacity, but does not specifically address the lack of clarity on retrofit funding.
9
Conclusion
Not Addressed
High energy costs mean that even tenants living in homes that have undergone energy efficiency improvements can struggle to afford to heat their homes sufficiently. The higher the standard of works, the greater the benefit. While we support the Government’s plans to bring all social homes up to a minimum …
Government Response Summary
The government response discusses the statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme and the Housing Ombudsman but does not address how to ensure people can afford to heat homes even with energy efficiency improvements.
11
Conclusion
Accepted
We welcome the Government’s changes to the Decent Homes Standard. The current standard has been out-of-date for some time and is in urgent need of reform, given that it was last updated in 2006. (Conclusion, Paragraph 48)
Government Response Summary
The government responded to its consultation on an updated and modernised Decent Homes Standard and aims to drive down rates of non-decency across the country and support landlords.
13
Conclusion
Deferred
The Government’s long implementation date for the revised Decent Homes Standard eases the burden on providers, but fails to deliver improvements with the urgency that social tenants deserve. Too many tenants will remain in poor quality, unsafe homes for too long under the implementation date that the Government has set. …
Government Response Summary
The government will work with sector bodies to agree a compact overseen by a taskforce, which will focus on social and affordable housebuilding commitments and strengthened governance.
15
Conclusion
Accepted
While we welcome the steps the Government has taken to rebuild the sector’s financial capacity, a lot of the extra rental income social landlords receive could be absorbed by the new compliance costs placed on them, thereby limiting their ability to invest in new social homes. Even with the Government’s …
Government Response Summary
The government highlights existing programmes and investments aimed at improving the safety, quality, and supply of social housing, including rent policy, building safety funding, low-interest loans, and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
16
Conclusion
Accepted
There is a real risk that the costs of new regulatory requirements may lead to an increase in social landlords choosing to sell homes that have reached, or are approaching, the end of their intended lifespan, at a time when social housing is desperately needed. We welcome the changes to …
Government Response Summary
The government highlights existing programmes and investments aimed at improving the safety, quality, and supply of social housing, including rent policy, building safety funding, low-interest loans, and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.
18
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The steps the Government is taking to rebuild the sector’s financial capacity to invest in new and existing homes will help providers to meet new regulatory standards. However, we are concerned that supply chain constraints, workforce shortages and the limited uptake of technologies will mean that providers may not have …
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the need for a skilled supply chain and is working with the industry to provide training opportunities and build a diverse workforce, but provides no specific commitments.
20
Conclusion
Accepted
It is vital that there are robust measures of redress in place to resolve disputes about the quality of newly built social homes. (Conclusion, Paragraph 76)
Government Response Summary
The government states it remains committed to implementing a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme and that social housing tenants can already access support from the Housing Ombudsman.