The Standard

To set a national target a common definition of decent is needed so all social Landlords can work towards the same goal. A ‘decent home’ therefore comprises of FOUR key components:

1. Fitness for Habitation
2. Disrepair
3. Modern Facilities
4. Reasonable Degree of Thermal Comfort

Fitness for Habitation

The current minimum standard for housing is the Fitness Standard (s604 of the Housing Act 1985 amended by Schedule 9 of 1989 Local Government and Housing Act). Dwellings unfit under this legislation fail this criterion. Under the Fitness Standard, a dwelling is fit for human habitation unless, in the opinion of the local housing authority, it fails to meet one or more of the following requirements:

• Free from serious disrepair

• Structurally stable

• Free from dampness prejudicial to health of occupants

• Adequate provision for lighting, heating and ventilation

• Adequate piped supply of whole-house water

• Effective system for drainage of foul, waste & surface water

• Suitably located WC for exclusive use of occupants

• Bath or shower and wash hand basin, with hot and cold water

• Satisfactory facilities for preparation and cooking of food including sink with hot and cold water
  

In 1998, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) commissioned the development of a new Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to replace the current Housing Fitness Standard. This will come into force in October 2005 and is seen as a more robust approach for setting and achieving minimum requirements for housing.

The principle behind the Housing Health and Safety Rating System is that a dwelling should provide a safe and healthy living environment for both the occupants and any visitors. The new framework involves an evidence-based risk assessment process which will form the basis of enforcement decisions made by Local Authorities. The survey procedure is intended to be logical, straightforward and practical.

To uphold the health and safety of tenants, the HHSRS insists that:

• A dwelling should be free from unnecessary and avoidable hazards; and

• Where hazards are necessary or unavoidable, they should be made as safe as reasonably possible.

The Government has committed £4-5m to meet the HHSRS start-up costs of local authorities, including training. The introduction of the HHSRS will see non-decent homes increase by 450,000 and 100,000 of which will be targeted for support through Decent Homes funding (40,000 social housing and 60,000 vulnerable private households). The Government does not consider that the change from the fitness to freedom from serious hazards as the first of the Decent Homes criterion will have a material effect upon the delivery of the programme.

For more information go to the Important Updates section.

Disrepair

The second section of the Decent Homes Standard considers disrepair and requires that properties be in a reasonable state of repair. This is not mutually exclusive from the fitness for habitation guidelines as described above and looks specifically at the age and condition of the key building components. These components are critical to a property’s ability to be wind, weather tight and warm.

Age

The lifetime of a component is used as a determinant in assessing whether a building is in disrepair. This is very subjective as some components may exceed their prescribed lifetime and still be in working order. A property will be deemed in a state of disrepair if fails on any of the two areas as outlined on the slide.

Building components are the structural parts of a dwelling (e.g. wall structure, roof structure), other external elements (e.g. roof covering, chimneys) and internal services and amenities (e.g. kitchens, heating systems). Key building components are those which, if in poor condition, could have an immediate impact on the integrity of the building and cause further deterioration in other components. They are the external components plus internal components that have potential safety implications. If any of these components are old and need replacing, or require immediate major repair, then the dwelling is not in a reasonable state of repair and remedial action is required.

Other building components are those that have a less immediate impact on the integrity of the dwelling. Their combined effect is therefore considered, with a dwelling not in a reasonable state of repair if two or more are old and need replacing or require immediate major repair.

Condition

Social Landlords should consider appropriate minimum standards to use for their own local assessment and measurement of progress. The conditions are open to interpretation as the term ‘major repair’ may be construed differently by different people.

During a stock condition survey, the surveyors should assess the extent to which individual building components require immediate work. Their judgment should be used to assess whether the components should be classified as in poor condition at the time of inspection or not. In general, and where possible, any component should be repaired as opposed to being replaced.

The component should only be replaced when a component:

• Is sufficiently damaged that it is impossible to repair;

• Is unsuitable because material deteriorated or because component was never suitable;

Even if the component was repaired, it would need replacing within 5 years.

Modern Facilities

Although the Decent Homes Standard undertakes to ensure a minimum standard of housing, it also attempts to further improve the living conditions for tenants by promoting the installation of modern facilities and services. This is an attempt to add value and enhance the quality of life for social housing tenants.

The ages used to define the 'modern' kitchen and bathroom is less than those for the disrepair criterion. This is to take account of the modernity of kitchens and bathrooms, as well as their functionality and condition. This principle was agreed with local authority representatives during the consultation on the formulation of the MRA allocations. This allows for dwellings to be improved to a more modern standard than would simply be achieved by applying the disrepair criterion.

Landlords may work to different detailed standards and in some instances there may be factors which may make the improvements required to meet the decent homes standards challenging, or impossible, factors such as physical or planning restrictions. Where such limiting factors occur the property should be assessed to determine the most satisfactory course of action in consultation with the relevant body or agency so as to determine the best solution. The outcome may determine that some improvements may be possible even if all are not. A dwelling would not fail this criterion, where it is impossible to make the required improvements to components for planning reasons.

If tenants are happy with their facilities, the published guidance is clear that “Landlords are not expected to make a home decent against a tenant’s wishes”.  Where a tenant refuses to grant permission for work to be carried out on their home, the work may be postponed until they have vacated the property. The only exception to this is where the structural integrity of the property needs to be maintained, or where there is a need to prevent other components in the dwelling from deteriorating

In some instances there may be mitigating factors which may inhibit or render the improvements required to meet the decent homes standards difficult (i.e. physical or planning restrictions). Where this is the case, the property should be assessed, in consultation with the relevant body or agency, to determine the most satisfactory course of action. The outcome may determine that some improvements may be possible even if all are not. It should be noted that a dwelling would not fail this criterion, where it is impossible to make the required improvements to components for planning reasons.

The modernisation criterion has been criticised with the ODPM calling for “a greater degree of flexibility and tenant choice in determining which facilities should be replaced”. This inflexibility has led to confusion over whether old facilities in good working order and likewise poor facilities, which fall below the old age threshold, should be replaced. However, the Government contests that in order to implement the standard on a national basis; it must have clear criteria and boundaries. This ensures that those living below the standard get improved homes and allows for effective monitoring to measure progress and assess whether a target has been achieved.

The standard is not designed to be a utopian vision that covers everything a tenant wants. However, Landlords should use their own judgment and consider tenant priorities when implementing the standard.

Thermal Comfort

Arguably the most important part of the Decent Homes Standard is concerned with ensuring dwellings provide a minimum level of warmth. By creating an environment of thermal comfort, tenants are more likely to enjoy a better quality of life. On top of generating heat, this criterion considers the issues of energy efficiency in order to maximise energy usage and minimise running costs. As such, the criterion requires a dwelling to have both efficient heating and effective insulation.

To achieve a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, it has been identified that heating, insulation and ventilation are not mutually exclusive. They operate together to determine the thermal comfort performance of a property. Efficient heating is defined as “any gas or oil programmable central heating or electric storage heaters or programmable LPG/solid fuel central heating or similarly efficient heating systems which are developed in the future”.  Heating sources which provide less energy efficient options will fail the decent home standard.

Programmable heating refers to systems where the timing and temperature of the heating can be controlled by the tenants.

Due to the differences in efficiency between gas/oil heating systems and the other heating systems listed, the level of insulation that is appropriate also differs:

• For dwellings with gas/oil programmable heating, cavity wall insulation (if there are cavity walls that can be insulated effectively) or at least 50mm loft insulation (if there is loft space) is an effective package of insulation; and

• For dwellings heated by electric storage heaters/LPG/programmable solid fuel central heating a higher specification of insulation is required: at least 200mm of loft insulation (if there is a loft) and cavity wall insulation (if there are cavity walls that can be insulated effectively).

Loft insulation thickness of 50mm is a minimum designed to trigger action on the worst housing. Where insulation is being fitted, Landlords should take the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency and install insulation to a much greater depth.

Where new heating systems are being installed or existing system replaced, Landlords should take the opportunity, where possible, to increase the energy efficiency of the dwelling. This would be achieved through the installation of energy efficient intelligent electric heating systems and an appropriate level of insulation. If new heating or insulation is installed, it is important that steps are taken to ensure the dwelling is adequately ventilated. Heating, insulation and ventilation operate together to determine the thermal comfort performance of a property. In terms of ventilation, the aim is to ensure that a balance is achieved to compliment the heating and insulation. This is often referred to as ‘build tight, ventilate right’.