Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to The New Decent Homes Standard: policy statement, updated 28 January 2025, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of the 2035 implementation date for the New Decent Homes Standard on the wellbeing of children in accommodation not at a decent standard.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government regularly engages with other government departments, including the Department for Education, in respect of policy development.

The wellbeing of children was a key consideration in the development of the new Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Its Impact Assessment, which can be found on gov.uk here, sets out the tenant impacts of implementing the updated DHS.

Prior to the implementation of the new DHS, landlords must continue to comply with the existing DHS and address non-decency wherever it exists.

The 2035 implementation deadline will give landlords the time they need to meet new duties, including those under Awaab’s Law, and will enable them to balance the cost implications of improving the quality of existing rented homes with the need to increase social and affordable housing supply given the importance of the latter to moving people, including many vulnerable children, out of unsuitable temporary accommodation. The implementation period is also consistent with the time social landlords were given to roll out the first iteration of the DHS.

The government encourages landlords to consider the benefits and feasibility of bringing properties up to the new DHS at the earliest opportunity. They should not delay all action until the end of the implementation period.