Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector coming soon
Labour will shortly begin consulting on a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector.
Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuennsberg last week, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that the government will shortly begin consulting on a Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector, which will include significant fines for those who don't manage properties to its standards.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said that Labour will launch a consultation as soon as possible on its Decent Homes Standard with the aim of ensuring housing in the private rented and social sectors is both safe and secure.
Decent Home Standards already apply to the social sector and the requirements are currently:
- Properties should be in a reasonable state of repair
- Properties should have reasonably modern facilities and services
- Properties should provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort
The consultation will also include new Access to Information Requirements for housing associations, under which the sector’s 2.5 million households will be able to hold their landlords to account.
Another area to be covered in the consultation will be the Competence and Conduct Standard for the social rented sector that aims to ensure staff have the right skills to carry out the role they sometimes have in supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society. The new standards will include qualification requirements for senior managers and executives so that tenants are treated with respect and dignity.
In the same announcement, the government said that it will be bringing forward legislation for Awaab’s Law to the autumn, which will mean hazards such as damp and mould must be investigated and remedied to set timescales.
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