{"id":29474,"date":"2026-02-26T16:06:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:06:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.propertysurveying.co.uk\/newsletter\/?page_id=29474"},"modified":"2026-02-26T16:06:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:06:24","slug":"indecent-homes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.propertysurveying.co.uk\/newsletter\/?page_id=29474","title":{"rendered":"Indecent Homes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indecent Homes?<\/p>\n

The New Decent Homes Standards (DHS) were published last month after lengthy consultation. The National Housing Association has welcomed the Government\u2019s \u2018proportionate and pragmatic approach\u2019 to deciding the Standards.\u00a0 While increased investment will be needed from housing associations, there will be time before 2035 for landlords to identify work required in their homes and make appropriate adjustments and plans, including for new social homes.<\/p>\n

This may be just as well, because new research from Inventory Base has revealed that, if current rates of remedial work continue, up to 726,000 private rented homes will still fail to meet even current requirements.<\/p>\n

The Renter\u2019s Rights Act, which comes into force on 1 May this year, will see the DHS extend to the private rental sector.\u00a0 This recognises that too many tenants are still living in poor-quality properties.<\/p>\n

The 2035 deadline for meeting the new standards is meant to give time for improvement and investment in housing stock for all public and private sector landlords.<\/p>\n

As a bald summary (taken from the National Housing Association\u2019s website), from 2035, all social housing must meet the following requirements:<\/p>\n

Criterion A \u2013 A home must be free of the most dangerous hazards.<\/p>\n

Criterion B \u2013 A home must be in a reasonable state of repair in terms of condition (age has been removed as a consideration here).<\/p>\n

Criterion C \u2013 A home must provide core facilities and services: houses and flats must provide at least<\/p>\n