A shocking one in five private rental homes in the UK fails to meet even the current minimum standards, with over 1 million properties deemed unsuitable for occupation. A cross-party government committee has now called on the government to accelerate compliance with new Decent Homes Standard and introduce measures to incentivise landlords to upgrade their properties sooner.
The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee’s report warns that the current 2035 deadline for the standard could lead landlords to delay necessary improvements until shortly before the legislation takes full effect. This would leave many tenants facing a prolonged wait for better living conditions.
The committee has also criticised the government's plan to only mandate local authorities to take enforcement action when Criterion A of the standard is breached. They argue that more comprehensive enforcement and tougher deterrents are crucial to ensure a wider uptake of the new standard across the sector.
One key recommendation from the committee is the accelerated rollout of Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector, which mandates landlords to address serious hazards such as damp and mould within strict legal timeframes. The committee proposes starting this rollout in 2026, with a goal of having deadlines for hazard resolution fully implemented across the private rented sector by the end of the 2028/29 financial year.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), has welcomed the report's findings. He noted that improving standards requires a combination of incentives to support landlords in meeting the Decent Homes Standard sooner, alongside enhanced enforcement to tackle rogue and criminal landlords operating within the sector.
Source: Property118