Housing conditions in England – Housing Committee launches new inquiry looking at social housing & private rented sectors

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has today launched a new inquiry examining housing conditions in England, looking at the prevalence of hazards such as damp and mould in the social housing and private rented sectors, and scrutinising how effective policies to improve housing conditions are likely to be.

Following the Government's social and affordable housing announcement on Wednesday 2 July, the Committee will examine whether the proposed reforms to the Decent Homes Standard will help improve conditions in social housing and the private rented sector.

In the context of the Government's target to build 1.5m new homes in this Parliament, the HCLG Committee will be looking at how the Government can ensure new-build homes are of good quality. The cross-party Committee's inquiry will also be exploring conditions in temporary accommodation.

Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said: “We are in a housing crisis and the time for action is long overdue. Too many people, whether in the rented sector or in social housing, suffer from appalling housing conditions. Whether it is residents living in poorly insulated homes, experiencing overcrowding, or enduring housing with damp or mould, it's crucial we see effective action to address these issues.

“Examining the Government's Decent Homes Standard, the introduction of ‘Awaab's law', and the passage of the Renters Reform Bill, we want to probe how far these policies will go to address the poor housing conditions which blight the lives of too many people in England today.”

The inquiry's full terms of reference are included further below. Statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government's English Housing Survey on ‘non-decent' homes is included in the further information section below.

Public evidence sessions are expected to commence in September. Details will be confirmed and announced in due course, but the Committee is likely to hear from witnesses including tenants and leaseholder groups, landlords, housing associations, letting agents, developers, homebuyers, and the MHCLG Minister.

Terms of reference – Housing conditions in England

The Committee welcomes written evidence on the terms of reference outlined below. The closing date for submissions is Friday 15 August.

1. What is the general condition of homes in England and how prevalent are housing hazards such as damp and mould?

Social housing sector

2. How effective will the proposed reforms to the Decent Homes Standards be at improving the conditions of social housing?
3. Have social landlords been abiding by the Decent Homes Standard; are the consequences for non-compliance tough enough or do these need to go further?
4. What should be included in the Regulator of Social Housing's forthcoming Competence and Conduct Standard to help improve the service social tenants receive?
5. How effective is the Housing Health and Rating System as a framework for identifying hazards and how could it be improved?
6. What will the impact of Awaab's Law be on social housing providers, and will this affect social and affordable housing supply?
7. What impact will the Government's proposed Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards have on the social housing sector?
8. How can technology help to monitor and improve the condition of homes, and what more can the Government do to facilitate the effective use of technology in this area?
9. What other measures can the Government take to support social landlords and residents to take effective action against hazards and improve the condition of non-decent homes?

Private rented sector

10. Does the Renters' Rights Bill go far enough to address poor housing conditions in the private rented sector?  
11. How effective will the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard be at improving the condition of homes in the private rented sector? ?
12. What impact will the introduction of the Decent Homes Standard have on  landlords in the private rented sector? 
13. What impact would applying Awaab's Law to the private rented sector have on landlords and will this affect housing supply in the private rented sector?

New-build homes

14. How can the Government ensure that new-build homes are as high-quality as possible?

Temporary Accommodation

15. How prevalent are the “appalling conditions” the Committee found in some instances of temporary accommodation in its recent inquiry, and how can the Government best address this?
16. Has there been any progress in tackling the “shocking conditions” in exempt accommodation, identified by the predecessor to this Committee in 2022?
17. How can local authorities best be supported to take action against rogue landlords operating in the temporary and exempt accommodation sectors?

ENDS

Further information

“Awaab's law” - Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, Section 42: Social housing leases: remedying hazards. Awaab Ishak was a child found to have died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his home, despite his parents having repeatedly raised the issue with their housing provider.

“Non-decent homes” - Landlords in the social housing sector are required by the Regulator of Social Housing to ensure their properties meet the Government's Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Despite this, in the published data from MHCLG's English Housing Survey, it was reported that, as of 2023, 10% of homes in the social rented sector were found to be “non-decent”. In the same period, 21% of homes in the private rented sector (PRS) were found to be non-decent, with “Category 1 Hazards” most prevalent in the PRS (10% of homes). The survey also reported that “damp increased across all tenures since 2019” with 9% of PRS homes affected and 7% of social rent homes. The Decent Homes Standard does not apply to the PRS currently, however, the Renters' Rights Bill contains provisions for the Secretary of State to specify DHS requirements for the PRS. On 2 July, the Government  launched a consultation on proposals to reform the Decent Homes Standard and apply the standard to the private rented sector.