Millions of renters will have to wait nearly a decade to have a “decent” home as Labour pushes back its flagship plan to force landlords to improve conditions in rental properties.
The government has announced that the decent homes standard – requiring landlords in England to provide homes in a reasonable state of repair and be free of damp and mould – will not be enforced until 2035, prompting a furious response from MPs, campaigners, and renters.
More than a fifth (22 per cent) of privately rented homes in England are non-decent, according to the English Housing Survey published at the end of January. This means more than a million properties across the country are not up to the standard, a figure that has remained steady since 2019.
Tish moved into a flat in Liverpool in 2017, “with the expectation that stuff would be sorted out during the tenancy”. What she instead experienced was “eight years of murder” as unresolved damp, mould and disrepair put her into ill health and, at points, physical danger.
Responding to the government’s decision to delay the enforcement of the decent homes standard, she says: “I think that’s absolutely disgusting.
“If landlords knew that there was a more robust system there … they wouldn’t try and pull half the stuff they do”.
The mother-of-one’s first warning sign was a flat roof extension that was leaking “as soon as we moved in”. Ignored by the landlord, it would ultimately collapse in 2024, flooding the kitchen. “If someone was standing underneath, it would’ve killed them,” Tish says.
Over the course of her tenancy, Tish dealt with numerous cases of disrepair, including a lack of railing on the staircase, crumbling stairs, cupboards falling off the walls, and a rusted bathtub.
But one of the worst issues were the carpets, which she describes as having “spores from the mould, creating this acrid smell” and attracting rodents.
“My daughter and I both suffered really bad ill health from all of it,” Tish says. “We had breathing issues. There wasn’t a day that went past we didn’t feel unwell.”
“My dog went to the vet four times with skin problems and breathing problems”, she says, adding: “[My landlord] knew he would get away with it, and he has.”
Under current rules, private landlords must make sure their homes are free of “Category 1” hazards, such as severe mould and disrepair that could cause ill health or injury. Local authorities are able to enforce this, and can issue fines of up to £30,000 for non-compliance (rising to £40,000 in May).
The decent homes standard – which already applies to the social rented sector – will take this further. It requires things like windows and boilers to be in reasonable repair, fairly modern facilities like kitchens and bathrooms, and to be sufficiently heated.
Adrian Fletcher, 54, moved into his current flat on the South East coast in December 2024 after being served a Section 21 eviction notice on his previous property of 11 years. After struggling for four months to find somewhere to live, and facing imminent eviction due to his landlord giving the statutory two months’ notice, Adrian was only able to find somewhere “indescribably horrible”.
He says cupboards and shelves have fallen off the wall, with damp and mould in nearly every room. The worst, Adrian says, is the spare room, where there is “constant wet on the wall”.
“You put your hand on there, and you take it away, and you can actually see the moisture on your hand. It’s that wet,” he says.
Adrian has been using the space for his belongings, so it currently houses many cardboard boxes. To his horror, he recently found that DVDs in plastic cases inside one of the boxes had been eaten by mould.
He says he is “appalled” by the delayed changes: “I understand … that this is not something that can happen overnight. But to put a near 10-year limit on it seems absolutely ridiculous.”
Adrian says that his lounge gets “incredibly cold” due to not having a double-glazed window and rising damp on one of the walls. “I have to wipe down all the windows with a sponge due to all the condensation,” Adrian says. He adds that these conditions exacerbate his chronic pain caused by a spine injury several years ago.
Following his previous experience, Adrian says he does not want to push too hard to have work carried out until he is sure that he cannot be issued a Section 21 notice. The controversial “no fault” eviction power is set to be banned from May under Labour’s Renters’ Rights Act.
Paul Shanks, spokesperson for the RRC, said: “A fifth of rented homes in England fail to meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard. A range of issues, from damp and mould to faulty boilers and broken windows, blight the lives of millions of renters, many of whom pay through the nose for the privilege.
“The government’s lack of urgency gives neglectful landlords a green light to continue profiting from rotten homes, and will have real consequences for the health and wellbeing of millions of tenants. We’re asking the government to bring the timeline forward – renters cannot afford to wait a decade for these basic protections.”
An MHCLG spokesperson said: “The current rules are clear that landlords need to fix serious problems where they exist now, and councils can issue large fines to landlords in the worst cases.
“Through the Renters’ Rights Act and Awaab’s Law, we’re making sure tenants have safe, decent homes – we’re working on extending Awaab’s Law to private rentals and from winter this year, we will roll out the Private Landlord Ombudsman to resolve complaints quickly and fairly.
“Some of the Decent Home Standard measures, such as the updated Minimum Energy Efficient Standards, will be implemented sooner, leading to cheaper energy bills and warmer homes for tenants.”
