Disrepair

The following provides you with advice and information regarding disrepair and poor housing condition, and how we can help you with these problems.

The Decent Homes Standard

This is a Government housing standard which requires all social housing (run by councils and housing associations) to bring their properties up to a certain standard.The Standard is made up of four criteria.

housing meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing, as detailed in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System
it has reasonably modern facilities and services, for example, a kitchen which is 20 years old or less
it is in a reasonable state of repair
it provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, which means having efficient heating and effective insulation

For more information, please read the Decent Homes Standard guide (opens a new window)

Tackling poor housing conditions

Poor housing conditions include many things, such as leaking pipes or roofs, damp, dangerous electrical wiring, disconnected power or water supplies and other hazardous conditions around a property.

It is likely that as a tenant, you will only be liable for very minor repairs and the landlord will have the duty to sort out any bigger problems.

The Council’s Environmental Health department can provide advice and where necessary, order the landlord to do the necessary repairs.

First of all, you must confirm what sort of tenancy you have in order to establish exactly what your rights are at the property.

In most cases, it is hoped a reasonable landlord will fix the problem within a reasonable amount of time. If you are not happy with the response or the work carried out, contact an independent advice agency. The Council’s Environmental Health Team can also offer you advice.

If the house is in such a poor condition that it is unfit to live in, action could be taken to "close" or demolish it, although in practice this rarely happens.

The Environmental Health Team can also deal with the following housing problems:

Overcrowding

Overcrowding can cause severe stress in any household, and in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) it puts a strain on the use of kitchen and sanitary facilities and increases the risk of fire. Action can be taken to limit excessive numbers of people to prevent overcrowding.

Power and water supplies

If the electricity, gas or water supplies have been disconnected due to the landlord's failure to pay the accounts, the Council can get these reconnected by serving a formal notice

Drainage

Defective or blocked drains are a severe health risk and the Council has powers to require landlords to carry out urgent repairs. In certain circumstances the necessary repairs will be carried out by Council workers.

Housing Health and Safety Rating System

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a system for assessing the health and safety risks in dwellings.

The aim of the HHSRS is to ensure that any home is a safe and healthy environment to live in or visit. The HHSRS is comprehensive in its coverage of key health and safety risks in dwellings.

A landlord has a duty of care and must ensure that the property remains in a reasonable state of repair at all times and it is safe to occupy. A tenant or leaseholder also has a duty to ensure that whilst living there, the property is kept in reasonable condition as required by the tenancy agreement.