The Government has announced a consultation on a new Decent Homes Standard (DHS) for the social and private rented sectors.
The consultation aims to update the Decent Homes Standard and apply it to privately rented housing for the first time. An interim impact assessment considers the range of interventions and options.
The NHC was part of the Government Review of the Decent Homes Standard which considered the case for change and assessed the strategic, economic and management case for different criteria.
The Government has published its response to the consultation on a Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector in September 2022. Measures to apply a Decent Homes Standard to privately rented homes will be taken forward through the Renters’ Rights Bill.
The consultation seeks views on potential changes to the DHS, its implementation, and timelines.
- Updating the measuring of disrepair, removing age requirements, updating the thresholds used to define that a component is in poor condition, revising the list of core facilities and updating the list of building components which must be in reasonable repair.
- Adding a new requirement for window restrictors and seeking views on whether there should be a new requirement that new door sets and windows must meet security standards at the point of replacement.
- Seeking views on adding a new requirement that suitable floor coverings are provided in all rooms at the start of a tenancy.
- Extending existing DHS heating requirements to cover the whole dwelling and remove many technical requirements specified in the DHS, instead linking to overall energy efficiency requirements.
- A newly established criterion to ensure properties are free from damp and mould (supported by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to measure compliance and enforcement).
These proposals sit alongside the consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for the social housing sector, also published on 2 July 2025. There is a separate consultation on energy efficiency measures in the social rented sector.
The DHS consultation will last for 10 weeks from 2 July 2025, closing on 10 September 2025. There are fifty-three questions in total.
The consultation proposes that the updated DHS will come into force in each tenure in either 2035 or 2037. This timeline broadly aligns with the nine-year implementation period that accompanied the original introduction of the DHS in 2001.
The NHC will be seeking the views of members to the questions on the reformed Standard. There will be opportunities over the next few weeks to provide your views to contribute to the NHC’s response.
If you want to find out more about the recent announcements and contribute to the NHC’s response to the consultation, the NHC Policy team will be speaking at our Disrepair Network on the 24th July and the next Policy Network is due to take place on the 6th August.
If you want any further information about the DHS consultation, please contact Senior Policy Advisor, Karen Brown, karen.brown@northern-consortium.org.uk
