Latest news with #DecentHomesStandard
The Independent
13 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Almost a quarter of privately rented homes in UK fail to meet basic living standards
New analysis reveals almost a quarter of privately rented Homes in the UK, over a million properties, fail to meet basic living standards. This includes nearly half a million Homes with Category 1 hazards, posing serious and immediate risks to health and safety, alongside issues like poor thermal comfort and disrepair. The findings are highlighted as the UK experiences high temperatures, raising concerns about the safety and liveability of these substandard Homes. The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the research, are advocating for a new insulation program and an immediate ban on no-fault evictions. The government is addressing the issue through a new Renters' Rights Bill, aiming to end no-fault evictions and enforce the Decent Homes Standard in the private rental sector.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
UK heatwave leaves renters boiling as 1m private rent homes fail basic standards
One in five privately rented homes would fail the government's Decent Homes Standard - and of those, almost 400,000 can't be maintained at liveable temperatures More than a million privately rented homes are failing basic living standards - as soaring temperatures leave renters boiling. One in five privately rented homes would fail the government's Decent Homes Standard. And of those, almost 400,000 can't be maintained at liveable temperatures, according to Lib Dem analysis of House of Commons data. The party is calling on the government to commit to an emergency home insulation programme and urgently implement new decent home standards. "The condition of rented homes is shameful," Lib Dem Energy Spokesperson Pippa Heylings said. "After years of Conservative failure to commit to upgrading homes and implementing new decent standards, renters now pay through the nose for homes that don't meet the basic standards of safety and health. This cannot continue." as soaring temperatures leave renters boiling. Half a million (496,000) privately rented homes - more than 10% of all private rented accommodation in the country - are rated with category 1 hazards. This is the most serious rating and poses serious and immediate risk to people's health and safety. A further 298,000 homes were deemed not in a reasonable state of repair - this could mean anything from not being structurally sound, to damp, rot and pest infestations. And another 88,000 privately rented homes failed DHS because they did not have suitable modern services and facilities such as a working toilet.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Improvement needed over housing complaint backlog
A council has been told improvement is needed to deal with a backlog of housing repairs and complaints from tenants. A watchdog found "some weaknesses" in the social housing services provided by Gateshead Council following an inspection in April. The inspectors said the council had plans in place to ensure all of its properties meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2027, but it had a "backlog of repairs and there are issues with the timeliness of the repair and maintenance of empty homes". The authority said it "fully agreed with the regulator's feedback on areas where we can and must do better", but added the result was "clear evidence we are on the right path". The C2 grading awarded to the council by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) was one level higher than that given to Newcastle City Council earlier this year, where "serious failings" were identified. In the services provided by Gateshead Council, which owns about 18,000 homes, the RSH found that "some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed". Overall, the report found the council was meeting its legal health and safety requirements, as well as establishing a "more proactive" approach to dealing with damp and mould cases. The RSH criticised "poor" responses to complaints made by tenants and said there were often "significant backlogs", but added the council had taken steps to address it with improvement plans. Meanwhile the report praised the council's response to dealing with and deterring anti-social behaviour. The council said it had installed a new complaints handling team to provide faster responses to tenants, would provide better monitoring of damp and mould cases, and promised investment to produce quicker repairs and a faster turnaround of empty homes. Labour councillor Chris Buckley said he was "pleased with the judgement". "We also fully agree with the regulator's feedback on areas where we can and must do better." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Delay on clearing mouldy council homes backlog New housing estates planned near town centre Regulator of Social Housing
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Gateshead Council housing complaint backlog 'must improve'
A council has been told improvement is needed to deal with a backlog of housing repairs and complaints from tenants.A watchdog found "some weaknesses" in the social housing services provided by Gateshead Council following an inspection in inspectors said the council had plans in place to ensure all of its properties meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2027, but it had a "backlog of repairs and there are issues with the timeliness of the repair and maintenance of empty homes". The authority said it "fully agreed with the regulator's feedback on areas where we can and must do better", but added the result was "clear evidence we are on the right path". The C2 grading awarded to the council by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) was one level higher than that given to Newcastle City Council earlier this year, where "serious failings" were the services provided by Gateshead Council, which owns about 18,000 homes, the RSH found that "some weaknesses in the landlord delivering the outcomes of the consumer standards and improvement is needed". Overall, the report found the council was meeting its legal health and safety requirements, as well as establishing a "more proactive" approach to dealing with damp and mould cases. New complaints team The RSH criticised "poor" responses to complaints made by tenants and said there were often "significant backlogs", but added the council had taken steps to address it with improvement the report praised the council's response to dealing with and deterring anti-social council said it had installed a new complaints handling team to provide faster responses to tenants, would provide better monitoring of damp and mould cases, and promised investment to produce quicker repairs and a faster turnaround of empty councillor Chris Buckley said he was "pleased with the judgement"."We also fully agree with the regulator's feedback on areas where we can and must do better." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Newcastle City Council delay on clearing mouldy homes backlog
Hundreds of households are still waiting for work to address mould and damp, despite a council's pledge to deal with the City Council inherited more than 1,800 damp and mould reports from management organisation Your Homes Newcastle, which was abolished last had pledged to deal with the backlog by this month, but despite appointing extra contractors, 491 reports are still outstanding, the authority confirmed.A spokesman for the council said all affected tenants would be contacted by the end of April to arrange repairs, but added it had been experiencing problems with residents not responding to allow access to their property. The authority, which took over control of about 25,000 properties from Your Homes Newcastle, had pledged to deal with the backlog at a rate of 50 homes per build-up of problems was among the issues cited by the Regulator of Social Housing as it warned of "serious failings" in the city council's housing stock in a judgement earlier this year and ordered the council to make improvements. New rules planned The Labour-run council's cabinet would be asked to sign off a new repairs policy next week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service includes a pledge to respond to emergency housing hazards, including those related to damp and mould, within 24 hours.A Newcastle City Council spokesman said the changes would help "to better meet the needs of our vulnerable residents" and adopt a "more flexible approach".They added: "We've also commissioned an external contractor to complete a stock condition survey to be sure that all of our properties meet the Decent Homes Standard and ensure that we have up to date information about their condition." Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
