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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that private homes are safe for elderly people.

The Government provides the Disabled Facilities Grant, a capital grant administered by local authorities that can help pay the cost of adapting eligible disabled and older people’s homes, regardless of tenure, to allow them to live safely and independently. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test. An additional £86 million for the DFG for 2025-26 was announced in the Budget, bringing the total to £711 million.

We are also taking action to improve standards within the private rented sector in England through the Renters’ Rights Bill, including through introducing the Decent Homes Standard to the sector for the first time. We are also applying ‘Awaab’s Law’ to the sector which will set clear legal expectations about the timeframes within which landlords in the private rented sector must make homes safe where they contain serious hazards. All elderly people should be able to live in a safe and decent home and these changes will have a positive impact on improving the health and wellbeing of older tenants.