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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 25 October 2023 to Question 203012 on Social Rented Housing: Mould, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the funds raised from rent settlement to cover damp and mould repairs.

Registered providers are spending record amounts on improving their tenants’ homes. This is funded primarily by rental income, alongside capital funding from government to help meet the costs of building safety remediation and improved energy efficiency.

If a Registered Provider is no longer able to do this without jeopardising its financial viability, it has the option of applying for an exemption from (or disapplication of) the Regulator of Social Housing’s Rent Standard. The Registered Provider will be expected to have considered all possible options to ensure its continued viability before such an exemption or disapplication is granted.