"Without effective and properly resourced enforcement by councils, the minority of rogue and criminal landlords will continue to undermine tenants’ confidence and damage the reputation of the wider sector"
- Ben Beadle - NRLA
Landlords have welcomed a new government consultation on housing quality but stress that standards must be clear, practical and properly enforced.
The consultation, launched this week, outlines proposals to update the Decent Homes Standard for both private and social rented housing. The government said the goal is to “modernise the standard, with proposals that hold tenant safety at their core but remain proportionate and affordable for providers to deliver”.
This move follows the launch of the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme, revealed in last month’s Spending Review. The programme forms part of the government's broader ambition to deliver 300,000 new social and affordable homes.
Responding to the consultation’s release, Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, supported efforts to improve housing conditions.
“Decent and safe housing should be the bedrock of the rental market,” said Beadle. “Any landlord failing to provide this should have no place in the private rented sector.”
He pointed to data showing that “79% of private rented homes already meet the existing Decent Homes Standard, despite it not being legally binding on the sector”. He added, “We want to ensure every rented home is of a decent quality.”
Beadle welcomed the government’s approach, noting the importance of involving all relevant groups in shaping the final outcome. “We welcome publication of the government’s proposals and will engage positively as they consult on them,” he explained. “Landlords, letting agents, tenants and councils need a clear, coherent and workable set of standards to meet.”
However, Beadle also warned that setting new benchmarks alone will not be enough. “Without effective and properly resourced enforcement by councils, the minority of rogue and criminal landlords will continue to undermine tenants’ confidence and damage the reputation of the wider sector,” he said. “It is time to find and root out poor practice for good.”
The government has not confirmed a timeline for when any new measures will come into force, but the consultation is expected to form a key part of shaping future legislation.
