NHC comment on Decent Homes Standard consultation

Following engagement with members we’ve submitted our response the Government’s consultation on the proposed new Decent Homes Standard.

Northern Housing Consortium Chief Executive Tracy Harrison said:

“We welcome the government’s commitment to update the Decent Homes Standard and extend it to the private rented sector – a move that will help ensure safer, healthier housing for 336,000 Northern households currently living in non-decent private rented homes. However, significant investment in local authority capacity to enable enforcement is needed if we want to see real change in the private rented sector.

“We have advocated for an updated set of standards. However, we are concerned that the proposed changes will come with a significant price tag for the social rented sector, that is not reflected by the Government’s assessment of costs.

“We are calling on the Government to work closely with our members to understand the true costs of the proposed Decent Homes Standard, alongside other significant changes such as the revised Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and Awaab’s Law. Only then can the trade off with other priorities, such as building more homes, be properly understood and considered.

“Consultation with members has highlighted that changes to key aspects of the standard, such as the expanded component list and removal of age criteria, will be challenging to implement for social housing providers. That’s why we’re encouraging the Government to work closely with our members to refine the detail of the standard to make sure it offers value-for-money and the best outcomes for tenants.”

You can read the full consultation response here.