Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to enforce the Home (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

We supported the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 because, for the first time, it empowers tenants in both the Private and Social Rented Sectors to hold their landlord to account if they fail to keep the property fit for human habitation. Government does not enforce the Act, instead the Act enables tenants to take action in the courts for breach of contract on the grounds that the property is unfit.

We have published guidance for tenants to help them make the most of their rights under the Act. We have also published guidance for landlords and local authorities to ensure that they are aware of what the Act means for them.