Committee publication · Report · 3 July 2026 · HC 42
4th Report - Housing Conditions in the Private Rented Sector
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Inquiry: Housing Conditions in England
Government response deadline: 3 September 2026
Summary
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee's fourth report examines housing conditions in England's private rented sector (PRS), where 4.7 million households live. The inquiry finds that while the Renters' Rights Act 2025 introduces welcome reforms—including the abolition of no-fault evictions, rent increase controls, and new standards—effectiveness depends heavily on implementation and enforcement. Over 1 million homes (22%) fall below the Decent Homes Standard, and 10% contain serious Category 1 hazards. The committee concludes the government must take bolder action on enforcement, local authority funding, and support for vulnerable tenants.
Key findings
- Just over 1 in 5 privately rented homes (22%, roughly 1 million properties) fall below the Decent Homes Standard as of 2024/25, with no significant improvement since the pandemic; the actual number of non-decent homes has increased from 2020/21.
- An estimated 10% of PRS dwellings contain Category 1 hazards (falls, excess cold, damp and mould); damp and mould affects around 10% of homes officially but tenants report much higher incidence (Citizens Advice found 75% of private renters have experienced damp, mould, or excessive cold).
- The Decent Homes Standard will not apply to the PRS until 2035; the government's impact assessment assumes most landlords will delay upgrades until shortly before the deadline, requiring new incentives to accelerate compliance.
- The committee welcomes the Renters' Rights Act 2025 reforms (Section 21 abolition, rent increase controls, new ombudsman) but warns that too much responsibility remains on tenants to pursue redress; stronger proactive regulation and enforcement by under-resourced local authorities is critical.
- Local authorities face significant barriers to effective enforcement: limited capacity and capability, unpredictable funding (only £60 million New Burdens funding allocated so far), and restrictions on selective licensing powers that inhibit proactive interventions targeting the most vulnerable renters.
Recommendations
- Introduce financial incentives to encourage landlords to upgrade homes before 2035 and strengthen deterrents against breaches of the new Decent Homes Standard.
- Roll out Awaab's Law in the private rented sector this year to ensure legal timeframes for resolving hazards are fully in place by end of 2028/29.
- Conduct and publish a full assessment of resources and powers available to local authorities to regulate and enforce standards; ensure fees from the new Private Rented Sector Database provide sustainable, predictable, ring-fenced funding for local authority regulatory activity.
- Remove barriers to selective licensing by increasing maximum scheme duration to 10 years and enabling local authorities to set licence conditions requiring physical property improvements.
- Make the Private Rented Sector Database more ambitious: enable good landlords to voluntarily self-certify compliance with the Decent Homes Standard to incentivise early adoption; provide tenants with guidance on their rights and reporting mechanisms.
- Ensure the First Tier Tribunal's rent-increase controls function effectively; unfreeze the Local Housing Allowance and align it with at least the 30th percentile of market rents to protect low-income renters from displacement.
Tone
CriticalTopics
Key actors
Florence Eshalomi, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, TDS Charitable Foundation, Citizens Advice, Housing and Ageing Alliance, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence, Local authorities in England
Notable line
“Too much onus remains on individuals to take action against their landlord, either through to courts, by contacting their local authority or soon by approaching the ombudsman for redress.”
Key Quotes
“The government is taking welcome steps to raise the standard of privately rented homes over the next decade. Overall, our view is that the Renters' Rights Act and other reforms to raise standards constitute a proportionate package of measures that are likely to improve housing conditions for tenants.”
“However, the effectiveness of these measures depends largely on how well they are implemented and enforced. The government needs to take further, complementary steps to protect the most vulnerable tenants at the lowest end of the market.”
“Too much onus remains on individuals to take action against their landlord, either through to courts, by contacting their local authority or soon by approaching the ombudsman for redress.”
“Stronger, more proactive regulation and enforcement of standards in the private rented sector (PRS) by local authorities is critical if the government is going to improve conditions for tenants.”
“… the country as a "nation of small landlords." 12 Most landlords …”
“With many renters already struggling to afford their rent, retaliatory rent increases could act as a form of economic eviction.”
“… the property that I am in doesn't have any sufficient heating system. I have storage heaters and panel heaters which cost me too much financially to heat the property.”
“… just over 1 in 5 privately rented homes (22%) fell below this standard in 2024/25, a 65 Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, 2024–25 English Housing Survey Headline Report: Housing Quality and Energy Efficiency: Annex tables …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗