Labour's promise of decent private rented homes in England is a decade away from becoming a reality. Landlords are given until 2035 to implement "robust standards" that combat disrepair, damp, and energy inefficiency. The timeline has been met with criticism from campaigners who describe it as "absurd", stating that millions of renters will be stuck living in poor-quality homes for nearly a decade.
The decision comes as the government publishes plans for a reformed decent homes standard (DHS) for social rented homes, alongside an introduction to DHS for the private rented sector. The housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, argues that the timeline will allow social landlords to boost housing supply and drive up the quality of their properties.
However, critics say the delay is unacceptable, with one organisation describing it as a "disgrace". Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: "It's absurd to let landlords drag their feet for an entire decade. It will mean millions of renters trapped living in poor-quality homes."
The campaign group had pushed for an earlier deadline, but the government has stuck with 2035. Paula Barker, Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, condemned the decision as a "shameful and completely unacceptable" move that will leave families and children stuck in substandard housing.
Data from the English Housing Survey shows that 21% of privately rented homes fail to meet the existing decent homes standard, with many more deemed non-decent due to disrepair or energy issues. The Health Foundation estimates that one in five private rented homes are classed as non-decent, posing a significant threat to health.
The new DHS will require landlords to ensure their properties meet certain standards, including being free of hazards and damp, and equipped with facilities like noise insulation and child-resistant window restrictors. Shelter's chief executive, Sarah Elliott, described the delay as "outrageous", stating that renters cannot afford to wait for a decade for basic protection.
The government has defended its decision, arguing that it will allow landlords time to implement changes while supporting councils in enforcing existing regulations. However, critics argue that this is just a smokescreen and that the real issue is the lack of urgency from the government.
The decision comes as the government publishes plans for a reformed decent homes standard (DHS) for social rented homes, alongside an introduction to DHS for the private rented sector. The housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, argues that the timeline will allow social landlords to boost housing supply and drive up the quality of their properties.
However, critics say the delay is unacceptable, with one organisation describing it as a "disgrace". Ben Twomey, chief executive of Generation Rent, said: "It's absurd to let landlords drag their feet for an entire decade. It will mean millions of renters trapped living in poor-quality homes."
The campaign group had pushed for an earlier deadline, but the government has stuck with 2035. Paula Barker, Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, condemned the decision as a "shameful and completely unacceptable" move that will leave families and children stuck in substandard housing.
Data from the English Housing Survey shows that 21% of privately rented homes fail to meet the existing decent homes standard, with many more deemed non-decent due to disrepair or energy issues. The Health Foundation estimates that one in five private rented homes are classed as non-decent, posing a significant threat to health.
The new DHS will require landlords to ensure their properties meet certain standards, including being free of hazards and damp, and equipped with facilities like noise insulation and child-resistant window restrictors. Shelter's chief executive, Sarah Elliott, described the delay as "outrageous", stating that renters cannot afford to wait for a decade for basic protection.
The government has defended its decision, arguing that it will allow landlords time to implement changes while supporting councils in enforcing existing regulations. However, critics argue that this is just a smokescreen and that the real issue is the lack of urgency from the government.
! The gov's plan for decent private rented homes is like, super delayed 
. I mean, 2035? That's almost a decade away 
! What kind of message does that send to renters who are already struggling with poor-quality homes? It's just not right 
.
. They're saying it's about giving landlords time to make changes, but that sounds like a smokescreen to me 
. The real issue is that they're not taking urgent action to address this problem 
.
. It's just heartbreaking to think about families and kids having to deal with damp, disrepair, and energy issues 
. The gov needs to step up their game and make some real changes 
!
. The brakes keep malfunctioning and I've been trying to get it fixed, but the shop where I bought it keeps sending me back to different places that don't seem to know what they're doing. It's really frustrating! 
. I heard there are a lot of people who love that sort of thing, so I might just give it a shot. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to help out by creating decent homes for others instead of just fixing up my own place 
IT'S NOT FAIR AND IT'S NOT RIGHT. THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE DOING MORE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE. THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT REFORMING SOCIAL RENTED HOMES BUT WHAT ABOUT PRIVATE RENTAL SECTOR? IT'S LIKE THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO COVER UP THEIR OWN INACTION! 
& it's not like landlords r doin them no favors 
i mean, they're gettin 2 implement "robust standards" by 2035 
which is still a decade away 
caused by damp & energy inefficiency 
she's callin out the gov 4 bein too slow 
shelter's sarah elliot is right 2 
renters r gettin left behind 
& we can't just keep tellin them 2 wait 4 change 4eva 
sounds like a fancy way of sayin "we ain't doin squat" 
& it's just not fair 2 those renters 
. It's like the gov is just letting landlords get away with murder (or at least, a really crappy living situation 
. The gov needs to step up its game and make this happen sooner rather than later 
.
this delay is whack lol what's taking so long for ppl who are already living in subpar conditions?! 
the gov shouldve done better 
they're just trying to make a difference. The whole system's broken, we need more people talking about the root causes of this problem rather than just piling more rules and regulations on top of it 
We need to see some serious action here, pronto! 
. And what's with the "robust standards" thing? Sounds like a bunch of empty words to me... I'd rather see some real action and concrete changes now, not after all these years