The Decent Homes Standard: what the new property rules mean for landlords
Social housing has had to meet a Decent Homes Standard since 2001. Private rentals never did - until now. On 28 January 2026 the government confirmed that a reformed Decent Homes Standard (DHS) will apply to private rented homes in England for the first time, alongside the wider changes running through the Renters' Rights Act. Full compliance isn't required until 2035, so there's no need to panic about a sudden new checklist. But part of the enforcement behind it is already live, with a fine that can land the moment a serious hazard is found. Here's what has actually been confirmed, what's already true today, and what to do about it.
What's already true, right now
Long before 2035 matters, a narrower rule already bites. Since 22 June 2026, councils have been able to fine a landlord up to £7,000 on the spot if they haven't taken reasonably practicable steps to fix a "Category 1" hazard - the most dangerous level under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), covering problems like severe damp and mould, dangerous electrics, fire risk and structural defects. The HHSRS itself was refreshed the very next day, simplifying its hazard categories from 29 down to 21. Government estimates suggest around 1 in 10 private rented homes has at least one hazard serious enough to qualify. None of this is new law waiting for 2035 - it sits alongside councils' existing powers to force repairs or carry out emergency works and bill the landlord, and it is enforceable today.
The 5 criteria that make up the new standard
From 2035, a rented home in England will need to meet 5 criteria to count as "decent" under the reformed standard. Local authorities will enforce them using their existing Housing Act 2004 powers.
| Criterion | What it requires |
|---|---|
| A - free of the most dangerous hazards | No Category 1 HHSRS hazards - severe damp, dangerous electrics, fire risk, structural defects and similar. Already enforceable, with a £7,000 on-the-spot fine since June 2026. |
| B - reasonable state of repair | Key building components (roof, walls, windows, kitchen, bathroom, heating, electrics) must not need major repair or replacement, and no more than one other component can be in serious disrepair. |
| C - core facilities | A working kitchen and bathroom, adequate space and noise insulation, plus child-resistant window restrictors on any window that presents a fall risk. |
| D - thermal comfort | A whole-home heating system tenants can control, plus EPC C or equivalent - a separate, earlier deadline of 1 October 2030 applies to this part. |
| E - free of damp and mould | Landlords must remedy damp and mould proactively, not only once a tenant reports it. |
Most of this will look familiar
None of the 5 criteria is really unfamiliar territory for a landlord who already keeps on top of repairs. Criterion A restates the Category 1 hazard rule above. Criterion B extends the thinking behind your existing Section 11 repairing obligations to a longer, more specific list of building components, with kitchens, bathrooms, heating and electrical systems now explicitly named as "key" components that can't be allowed to fall into serious disrepair. Criterion D's energy efficiency element runs on the same track as the EPC C by 2030 rules, using the same £10,000 cost cap and exemption process rather than a separate bill to budget for twice. Criterion E, on damp and mould, builds on the same problem Awaab's Law already tackles in social housing - the government has said it intends to consult on extending Awaab's Law to private rentals too, though no date is confirmed yet.
What landlords should do now
- Treat Category 1 hazards as urgent, not eventual. Severe damp, dangerous electrics, fire risk and structural defects carry the immediate £7,000 exposure, not a 2035 one.
- Don't wait for 2035. The government has been explicit that landlords shouldn't delay improvements until the deadline, and detailed guidance is expected through the rest of 2026.
- Track your EPC separately. The energy efficiency piece of Criterion D has its own earlier compliance date of 1 October 2030, regardless of where the wider standard sits.
- Follow the wider Renters' Rights Act timeline alongside this. The Decent Homes Standard is one part of a longer run of changes still to come.
- Keep dated records of repairs and conditions. The same evidence that protects you under Section 11 today is what a council will expect to see under the DHS later.
Keep every compliance date in one place
Our Complete Landlord Pack includes a Landlord Compliance Calendar alongside the tenancy agreement and notice templates, so long-horizon dates like this one don't get lost between now and 2035.
See the packs →Frequently asked questions
What is the Decent Homes Standard? It's a minimum property condition standard, first introduced for social housing in 2001 and now being extended to private rentals for the first time. It sets 5 criteria a home must meet to count as decent: freedom from the most serious hazards, a reasonable state of repair, core facilities, thermal comfort, and freedom from damp and mould.
When do private landlords have to comply with the Decent Homes Standard? The government has set 2035 as the date full compliance and local authority enforcement begins in the private rented sector, confirmed in a policy statement on 28 January 2026. The energy efficiency part of the standard has its own earlier deadline of 1 October 2030.
Is there already a fine for not meeting the Decent Homes Standard? Not for the standard as a whole. But councils can already fine a landlord up to £7,000 on the spot for failing to fix a Category 1 hazard, a power that has been in force since 22 June 2026, separate from the wider 2035 timeline.
Does the Decent Homes Standard replace my current repair obligations? No. Section 11 repairing obligations and the fitness for human habitation duty under the Homes Act 2018 apply now and continue throughout the run-up to 2035. The Decent Homes Standard sits alongside them as a wider, later-enforced standard, not a replacement.
This guide is general information for landlords in England, not legal advice for your specific circumstances. The Decent Homes Standard for the private rented sector is confirmed government policy, but the regulations that bring it fully into force are not yet in place - check GOV.UK for updates before making long-term investment decisions.