Decent Homes Standard Survey |
The Social Housing White Paper announced a review of the Decent Homes Standard. The Northern Housing Consortium is pleased to have been invited by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to be a core participant in the Review sounding board.
The first phase of the review is considering the case for criteria within the Decent Homes Standard, and what might be included in a new standard. The second phase will consider refining decency in more detail.
In order that we can be sure we’re representing our members’ views effectively within the review, we’d be grateful if you could complete this short survey. Not all the questions are mandatory.
The current statutory minimum
The first part of the current decent homes standard concerns statutory minimums:
Criterion a: It meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing
With the implementation of Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 on 6 April 2006, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) replaced the Housing Fitness Standard as the first criterion of the Decent Homes standard. HHSRS is a risk assessment procedure and does not set a standard.
To be decent, a dwelling should be free of category 1 hazards, and the existence of such hazards should be a trigger for remedial action unless practical steps cannot be taken without disproportionate expense or disruption. Landlords should consider the circumstances very carefully in the interests of the occupiers of the dwelling before concluding that a hazard cannot be dealt with effectively, and in such cases should ensure that the occupiers are fully aware of the position.
The first phase of the review is considering the case for criteria within the Decent Homes Standard, and what might be included in a new standard. The second phase will consider refining decency in more detail.
In order that we can be sure we’re representing our members’ views effectively within the review, we’d be grateful if you could complete this short survey. Not all the questions are mandatory.
The current statutory minimum
The first part of the current decent homes standard concerns statutory minimums:
Criterion a: It meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing
With the implementation of Part 1 of the Housing Act 2004 on 6 April 2006, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) replaced the Housing Fitness Standard as the first criterion of the Decent Homes standard. HHSRS is a risk assessment procedure and does not set a standard.
To be decent, a dwelling should be free of category 1 hazards, and the existence of such hazards should be a trigger for remedial action unless practical steps cannot be taken without disproportionate expense or disruption. Landlords should consider the circumstances very carefully in the interests of the occupiers of the dwelling before concluding that a hazard cannot be dealt with effectively, and in such cases should ensure that the occupiers are fully aware of the position.