A New Decent Homes Standard

🏡 The Decent Homes Standard hasn’t been updated for 20 years.. no wonder its mere existence is news to many people! An overhaul is on the way.

DHS sets ‘baseline expectations of housing quality in the social rented sector’.

That definition is changing... From 2035, the Decent Homes Standard will also apply to rentals in the private sector.

The final text of the new DHS will be confirmed in due course, but Government has this week published its intentions.

The Decent Homes Standard was introduced in 2006, but hasn't been updated since.

The new DHS will expect all houses to comply with five criteria…

♨️ For us energy assessors, this is the big one: "A home must provide thermal comfort"

See my previous posts about changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). Homes will be expected to meet a C rating on the EPC and, if not, the owners will need to renovate.

😷 'A home should be free of damp and mould'

Refer to Awaab's Law for details on those requirements.

🔨 This one could be a biggie for landlords: 'A home must be in a reasonable state of repair'

If just one item isn’t up to scratch, that’s an automatic fail.

📜 The list of items is very extensive…

..wall structure, internal finish, chimneys, roof, windows, external doors, kitchens, bathroom, electrics, heating systems, fire alarms, sprinklers, fire safety signs, internal doors, ventilation, lifts.

◾ Campaigners calling for floors to be carpeted will be disappointed. That hasn't made the final cut, so bare floorboards will still be allowed.

◾ Heating systems should serve all main rooms in the house.

🚽 'A home must provide core facilities and services'

2 out of 3 are required: an adequately spaced kitchen, appropriately located bathroom and/or external noise insulation.

☢️ And Criterion A is the only unchanged requirement... 'A home must be free of the most dangerous hazards'.

Some other points of note:

🔹 These criteria will also apply to supported housing and temporary accommodation.

🔹 The definition of ‘disrepair’ is changing from ‘old and broken’ to something that is broken or in poor condition. Age won’t come into it.

🔹 As always with these policies, there will be exemptions where renovating properties is impractical, such as prohibitive cost, issues with heritage buildings, plans to sell etc.

Those details are yet to be confirmed, as is how much money landlords will be expected to reasonably spend.

You can read up on the full proposals here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-a-reformed-decent-homes-standard-for-social-and-privately-rented-homes

Or catch up with the 2006 version here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7968b740f0b63d72fc5926/138355.pdf