Date Published 06 February 2026
The new Decent Homes Standard (DHS), due to be applied to the private rented sector from 2035, continues to attract significant attention. Tenant group Generation Rent has criticised the timeline as too slow, while industry bodies such as Propertymark have welcomed greater clarity around what landlords will be required to deliver.
Propertymark has now published a helpful breakdown of the five criteria private rental properties must meet to comply with the DHS.
The five key requirements:
• Freedom from serious hazards
Homes must be free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Local authorities will be expected to take enforcement action where such hazards are identified. The updated standard places strong emphasis on: preventing and resolving damp and mould, and ensuring adequate thermal comfort, linked to existing Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). Additional expectations around window safety, including child-resistant restrictors where there is a fall risk, have also been confirmed.
• State of repair
A property will fail the standard if any key component is in serious disrepair, or two or more other components are in serious disrepair. Key components include the building fabric (roofs, walls, windows and doors), essential services (heating and electrics), kitchens and bathrooms, fire safety measures (such as alarms and sprinklers), and ventilation.
• Core facilities and safety
Homes must provide: a usable kitchen, a suitably located bathroom and WC, and protection from external noise where necessary. The government has stepped back from earlier proposals on mandatory floor coverings and enhanced security, acknowledging these are already common practice in the private rented sector.
• Heating and energy efficiency
Landlords must provide a primary heating system capable of heating every room, with tenant control over temperature and timings.
Homes must also align with MEES, with relevant exemptions recognised — a key point raised by Propertymark during consultations.
• Damp and mould prevention
Properties must be free from damp and mould, with failure linked to HHSRS scoring and an expectation of proactive management. This aligns with the government's wider direction of travel, including proposals to extend Awaab's Law to the private rented sector.
The Decent Homes Standard will be enforced by local authorities, who will have powers to:
• inspect properties,
• require remedial works, and
• take formal enforcement action where standards are not met.
For the most serious hazards, councils will have a duty to act, including issuing on-the-spot fines of up to £7,000. More broadly:
• the maximum civil penalty will be £7,000 for breaches and £40,000 for offences, and
• criminal prosecution may be pursued for serious or repeated non-compliance.
Failure to comply with statutory notices can also lead to criminal enforcement action, underlining the importance of robust processes, clear record-keeping, and prompt remediation. Further guidance is available on the Propertymark and Gov.uk websites.
As your trusted and dedicated Agent and Property Manager, Adams Estates closely monitors all developments in legislation and safety standards. We keep our landlords fully informed and work proactively to ensure our managed portfolio remains compliant, safe, and well prepared for future regulatory change.
