The government has opened its consultation on bringing the Decent Homes Standard into the Private Rented Sector (PRS) This started on 2nd September and runs until 14 October and you as a landlord can respond directly and I would encourage you to do so. The link to the consultation paper is below. It might take you around 30 minutes to complete but the information within is helpful in my view and it’s good to have our say!

The Decent Homes Standard has been around for some time and is used to measure social housing but is being revisited at the moment, albeit a little up in the air until our new Housing Ministers gets his feet under the table.

The new proposals intend to classify a property as non-decent if it:

  • Has an HHSRS category 1 hazard;
  • Has elements which are old and not in repair;
  • Lacks reasonable facilities and services;
  • Does not provide reasonable thermal comfort.

The consultation elaborates on each of these standards.

A Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector: consultation - Page 1 of 21 - Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - Citizen Space