New Decent Homes Standard to apply to social housing from 2035

The government’s policy statement said: “This timeframe has been chosen to allow landlords time to implement other regulatory changes, such as those introduced in the Renters’ Rights Act 2025, and to support the supply of new secure and affordable homes.

“However, we are clear that landlords should not delay all action until the end of the implementation period.”

Following consultation feedback, the government has also dropped its proposal to introduce mandatory floor coverings and enhanced security regulations.

“We think this balances the cost implications of improving the quality of existing rented homes with the need to increase affordable and social housing supply,” the Ministry of Housing, Local Government and Communities (MHCLG) said in a policy statement.

The sector has previously raised concerns about the cost of implementing this proposal, with the National Housing Federation looking to launch a trial last year to understand the financial impact.

Some social landlords already provide floor coverings, the government said, but “too many residents struggle to provide their own basic furnishings”.

“Therefore, we will work with landlords and tenants to rapidly identify cost-effective ways in which landlords can better support tenants in need,” it added.

Alongside its plans for the updated DHS, the government published its final Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), setting out timelines for implementation.

To comply with the MEES, social homes must be rated Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C, using the reformed EPCs, against any one metric by 1 April 2030. 

Following this, social landlords must then achieve an EPC C rating against a second metric by 1 April 2039. 

Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said the “new, modernised DHS is designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality”.

“By setting out in plain terms a series of ambitious yet proportionate standards for landlords to adhere to, it will help ensure we continue to drive down rates of non-decency across the country,” he said.

But the minister recognised the “significant challenges” landlords face as a result of the government’s regulatory changes.

Mr Pennycook said: “We are also acutely aware that we are asking social landlords to balance the competing demands of improving their existing stock and building more desperately needed social and affordable homes. 

“As such, we have decided that all rented properties will be required to meet the new DHS by 2035 at the latest – an implementation timeline that gives social landlords in particular the time and the certainty they need to boost housing supply, as well as drive up the quality of the homes they manage.”

MHCLG said the new DHS will focus on the condition as the primary factor when determining compliance of building components such as windows and roofs.

“It will go further in ensuring that rented homes are provided with good-quality facilities, such as kitchens and bathrooms, and introduce safety measures such as mandatory child-resistant window restrictors, which help to prevent tragic falls and give parents greater peace of mind, and more proactive and preventative approaches to addressing damp and mould,” the government added.

The DHS has been in place for the social housing sector since 2001 and was last updated in 2006.