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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expediting implementation of the Decent Homes Standard to improve maintenance practices in privately rented properties.

The government consulted on both the content and implementation of a new, modernised Decent Homes Standard and has published a full impact assessment setting out the rationale for implementing the standard in 2035. The consultation outcome can be found on gov.uk here and the impact assessment on gov.uk here.

Private rented sector landlords should address non-decency wherever it exists. While we are giving landlords until 2035 to implement our new Decent Homes Standard, we have made clear they should not wait until 2035 to improve their properties.

We are also acting in other ways to ensure private tenants have safe, warm, and decent homes including introducing new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for the sector; strengthening local authority enforcement in respect of unremedied hazards; and applying Awaab’s Law Act to the PRS through the relevant provisions in the Renters’ Rights Act.