Reformed Decent Homes Standard for social and privately rented homes

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Proposed reforms to the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) will apply to both social and privately rented homes in England. The recent MHCLG consultation invited views on potential changes to the DHS, its implementation, and timelines. The NHC responded to the decent homes consultation and you can read our response here.

We believe the proposed standard requires refinement in certain areas to reflect the distinct business models of the social and private rented sectors, and to ensure that efficiencies and value-for-money can be maximised. This will need clearer guidance and realistic cost assessments to ensure effective implementation.

The proposals are part of a package of wider housing quality reforms including Awaab’s Law, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) Review and the Renters’ Right Bill, which extends the DHS to the private rented sector for the first time.

We have welcomed the government’s commitment to update the Decent Homes Standard and extend it to the private rented sector but we think there is further work to do to adapt the proposals and to reflect the significant impact on the sector.

Our response comments on: 

  • The need to align the proposals with other legislation
  • To invest in local authority enforcement capacity to ensure the new standard benefits tenants in the private rented sector
  • Make sure the standard is compatible with both the private and social rented sectors with different operating models
  • Review the building component list and the age criteria proposals
  • Prior to full rollout work with housing providers to fully cost the impact of the proposals and test how it can be applied in the social housing sector.

We are calling on the Government to work closely with our members to understand the full impact of the proposed Decent Homes Standard, alongside other significant changes such as the revised Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and Awaab’s Law.

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.”