The review into the Decent Homes Standard is “an opportunity” for government ministers to make a real difference.

That is according to Lucy Hutton, Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities who was speaking at the HQN Asset Management conference.

She said ministers in DLUHC were “yet to decide” on whether to move to part two of the Decent Homes Review.

Setting out the reasons why she believes they should, she said the current standard was “out of date in respect of new technology” and that “there are significant shortcomings that government has an opportunity to resolve”.

Hutton added: “A new DHS presents an opportunity to ensure social homes are fit for the 21st century in respect of climate resilience and adaptation.”

Other shortcomings noted were:

  • Inconsistencies between DHS and newer legislation (for example Homes ((fit for human habitation)) Act)
  • Issues of concern to residents are poorly addressed e.g. damp and mould
  • DHS doesn’t go far enough on energy efficiency and decarbonisation
  • Landlord responsibility “poorly understood” by residents – leading to difficulties over holding to account

On the damp and mould, Hutton said: “Some of the damp and mould we saw on ITV News may not be a category one hazard under the HHSRS but it is very unpleasant to live in. That is what we could change.”

Also speaking at the event was Richard Foster from the Regulator of Social Housing.

Foster spoke of the importance of accurate stock condition data and how “understanding and stress testing” for upcoming asset spending is going to be key.

He said: “Some of the numbers are eye watering. There are going to be some difficult conversations and decisions if some providers know they can’t meet certain standards and targets.”

Although “we are not yet seeing that in the viability grades”, Foster says the “huge rump” of expenditure on the horizon is in the mind of the Regulator.

One of the major complaints the Housing Ombudsman is seeing is around repairs and quality of home, and that is what Rebecca Reed from the Housing Ombudsman Service tackled in her address.

She said the reason the Ombudsman conducted their report into damp and mould was because there was 142 different landlords who had damp and mould complaints against them, with £125,000 worth of compensation being given out.

Reed also revealed that there was “serious condensation and mould problems” present in at least one room in 133,000 social homes – around 3%.

A further 192,000 lacked thermal comfort.

She said: “There needs to be a move from reactive on hearing a complaint about damp and mould to a proactive attempt to find it.

“It isn’t that there aren’t more cases out there, it is that its not being reported. You need to go out and find it.”

Reed also urged landlords to “check out properties while they are empty” and that data was vital to ensuring a proactive response.

As part of the address, she also issued a serious of questions for governance:

  • Are you on the front foot with damp and mould?
  • Do you respond effectively to reports of damp and mould?
  • Are you good at managing complex cases?
  • Do you have a learning culture?
  • Are you making the most of your complaints data?

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