Decent Homes Standard Private Rented Sector UK 2026 — Criteria, Enforcement, and What Landlords Must Do

The four criteria of the Decent Homes Standard explained

The Decent Homes Standard requires a property to meet all four criteria to be considered 'decent'. Failure on any single criterion means the property fails the Standard:

• Criterion 1 — No HHSRS category 1 hazards: The property must meet the tolerable standard by being free from category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Category 1 hazards are the most serious — those where the risk of harm is considered unacceptable. Common category 1 hazards in the PRS include: damp and mould growth; excess cold (poorly insulated or unheated properties); falling hazards on stairs; entry by intruders (inadequate door/window security); electrical hazards; and fire. Where a category 1 hazard is identified by a local authority inspector, the authority is required (not just empowered) to take enforcement action
• Criterion 2 — Reasonable state of repair: The property must be in a reasonable state of repair. This means that none of its building components are both old and in a state requiring replacement. The components assessed include: external walls; roof (including chimneys, flat roofs, parapet walls); windows and external doors; central heating boiler; electrics; lifts (if any). A component fails this criterion if it is both aged (typically 30+ years for some structural components; less for others) AND in poor condition requiring replacement rather than repair
• Criterion 3 — Reasonably modern facilities and services: The property must have reasonably modern facilities. The principal tests are: kitchen — if the kitchen is more than 20 years old and lacks two or more of the standard amenities (adequate space, four-burner hob, oven, sink with hot/cold water, ventilation), it fails the criterion; bathroom — if the bathroom is more than 30 years old and the facilities are unacceptable, it fails. Shared facilities (in HMOs) are assessed proportionately. This is the criterion most likely to require capital expenditure by landlords with older properties
• Criterion 4 — Reasonable degree of thermal comfort: The property must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort — both effective insulation and efficient heating. The heating assessment focuses on the main living room: there must be effective fixed heating (gas or oil central heating; electric storage heaters; or a gas or solid fuel fire of appropriate output). The insulation assessment focuses on the roof/loft (80mm+ loft insulation where accessible) and wall insulation (cavity fill where practical). The thermal comfort criterion interacts closely with EPC obligations: a property with an EPC rating of F or G is very likely to fail this criterion

Enforcement of the Decent Homes Standard in the PRS

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 does not create a new enforcement body for the Decent Homes Standard — enforcement is primarily through the existing HHSRS and local authority enforcement framework. However, the Standard's extension creates new impetus for local authority inspection and action:

• HHSRS enforcement as the primary mechanism: The Criterion 1 (category 1 hazards) test under the Decent Homes Standard is essentially the same as the HHSRS category 1 hazard threshold. Local authorities already have powers to serve improvement notices and prohibition orders where category 1 hazards exist. The extension of the Decent Homes Standard reinforces these powers and creates a clearer statutory framework within which local authorities must act. Where a category 1 hazard is identified, the authority must take enforcement action — it has no discretion to ignore it
• Awaab's Law timescales: For damp and mould hazards (among the most common PRS failures under the Decent Homes Standard), the Awaab's Law timescales apply: acknowledge within 3 working days; investigate and provide written findings within 14 days; begin emergency work within 24 hours for immediate health risks. These specific timescales were extended to the PRS from 1 May 2026. A landlord who fails to respond to a damp/mould report within Awaab's Law timescales is at risk of HHSRS enforcement AND PRS ombudsman complaint
• Civil penalties and criminal enforcement: Where landlords fail to comply with improvement notices served following Decent Homes Standard failures, local authorities can impose civil penalties of up to £30,000 per breach. Persistent failures or failure to comply with emergency remediation notices can lead to criminal prosecution. Local authorities can also use Emergency Remediation Orders to carry out works themselves and recharge the cost to the landlord
• Proactive inspection programmes: The extension of the Decent Homes Standard is likely to trigger more proactive local authority inspection programmes, particularly in areas with older private rented stock. Some councils have announced expanded PRS inspection teams. Landlords in areas with significant pre-war or inter-war housing stock should anticipate proactive inspection and assess their portfolios against the Standard before inspectors arrive

What landlords need to do — practical steps to meet the Decent Homes Standard

For many landlords with well-maintained properties, the Decent Homes Standard will already be met — particularly if the property has no HHSRS hazards, has modern kitchen and bathroom fitments, and has good heating and insulation. However, landlords with older properties may need to invest to bring them up to the Standard:

• Property audit against the four criteria: Carry out a structured audit of each property against the four criteria: (1) check for any HHSRS category 1 hazards — damp, cold, electrical, fire, security; (2) assess the state of repair of key building components — roofs, windows, boiler, electrics; (3) record the age and condition of kitchens and bathrooms; (4) assess heating effectiveness and loft/wall insulation. Use HHSRS guidance (published by MHCLG) to score potential hazards and identify the highest risks
• Kitchen and bathroom age — the critical criterion: The modern facilities criterion (Criterion 3) has a specific age test: kitchens over 20 years old and bathrooms over 30 years old trigger assessment. Where a kitchen was installed before 2006 or a bathroom before 1996, landlords should assess whether it still provides adequate amenities. If not, planning a phased replacement programme before enforcement action is initiated is far less costly than emergency replacement under an improvement notice
• Thermal comfort — EPC and heating upgrades: Properties with EPC ratings of F or G fail the thermal comfort criterion almost certainly. Landlords already face MEES obligations to improve properties to EPC E (currently) and EPC C (proposed 2030 for new tenancies). Meeting the MEES obligation will generally also satisfy the thermal comfort criterion of the Decent Homes Standard. Prioritise loft insulation (80mm+ where accessible); cavity wall insulation (where technically feasible); and boiler replacement (replace boilers over 15 years old with modern condensing units)
• Phased implementation for the PRS: The Government has indicated that the Decent Homes Standard will be phased in for the PRS — with enforcement focusing initially on Criterion 1 (category 1 hazards, which are already enforceable) and progressively on Criteria 2-4 over a transition period. Landlords should not wait for the full standard to be enforceable before assessing and investing — the phasing means enforcement of criteria 2-4 will follow criteria 1 enforcement by a period of years, not decades

Interaction with other compliance obligations — HHSRS, EPC, Awaab's Law, and MEES

The Decent Homes Standard does not sit in isolation — it overlaps significantly with other compliance obligations that private landlords already face. Understanding the interactions helps landlords prioritise investment efficiently:

• HHSRS and Decent Homes Criterion 1: These are effectively the same test — a property with category 1 HHSRS hazards fails the Decent Homes Standard. Landlords who already commission proactive HHSRS risk assessments (increasingly common for portfolio landlords) are well-positioned to identify Decent Homes Standard failures early. Proactive HHSRS assessments (available commercially from building surveyors) are cheaper than responding to enforcement notices
• EPC and Decent Homes Criterion 4: The EPC rating is a strong proxy for Criterion 4 (thermal comfort) compliance. A property with EPC A, B, C, or D is likely to satisfy Criterion 4. An EPC E property may meet the criterion if effective heating is present; F or G properties will almost certainly fail. The proposed MEES requirement for all new tenancies to achieve EPC C by 2030 would, if implemented, eliminate PRS Decent Homes Criterion 4 failures across the new-tenancy market
• Awaab's Law and Criterion 1: Awaab's Law (extended to the PRS 1 May 2026) specifically addresses the damp and mould hazard — the most common Decent Homes / HHSRS Criterion 1 failure in the PRS. A landlord complying with Awaab's Law timescales (3-day acknowledge; 14-day investigate; 24-hour emergency response) is already meeting the most operationally demanding aspect of Criterion 1 enforcement
• Building Safety Act and older blocks: For private landlords with flats in higher-risk buildings (18m+ or 7+ storeys), the Building Safety Act 2022 adds structural safety obligations that interact with the Decent Homes Standard's state-of-repair criterion. Principal accountable persons under the BSA must maintain common parts; resident management arrangements; building safety cases; and golden thread information — all of which feed into the state-of-repair assessment

Frequently asked questions