The Housing Forum has responded to the Government’s consultation on a new Decent Homes Standard.
Our key points are:
- Updating the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is welcome, and the less ridged approach to the age of fittings especially so.
- There are significant cost implications to some of the reforms, especially the requirement to provide floor coverings. It is vital that Government identifies what these are and ensures that funding is in place to meet them. The original DHS was a success because it came with a big funding stream to pay for the upgrading of social housing.
- It is essential that the DHS is carefully formulated to fit with other legislation around decarbonisation and overheating.
- Social landlords should be encouraged to look at their stock holistically and make upgrades in an efficient way. This may mean undertaking work to comply with the new DHS alongside work to improve energy efficiency or decarbonise their homes.
Read the response in full here.