Housing quality / Decent Homes 2

The 2020 Social Housing White Paper included a commitment to review the  Decent Homes Standard (DHS) to determine whether changes are required to the current Standard, which dates back to 2006.

In February 2021, the Government launched its review, establishing a Sounding Board made up of representatives from across social housing to provide support and advice. Part 1 of the review concluded that the standard remains effective but may require updates to become more beneficial.

In February 2022, the Government published the Levelling Up White Paper which included the ambition to apply the DHS to the Private Rented Sector (PRS) and reduce the number of non-decent rented homes by 50% by 2030.

Phase 2 of the review therefore focused on the development of a new Standard to operate across both social housing and the PRS. However, in July 2022 the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) released an update on the Decent Homes Review, stating that more time is needed to create a more measured approach to developing the policy.