Third of rented homes ‘not up to standard’

A third of privately rented homes in England are in such a bad condition that they fail basic decency standards, according to research.

Analysts from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) applied the Government’s test for social housing to properties rented privately and found 33 per cent would fail it, revealing the squalid conditions faced by many tenants.

The “Decent Home Standard” is used to decide if social housing is suitable to live in. A home fails if it is unsafe, not in a reasonable state of repair or too cold to be comfortable. Just 15 per cent of social rented homes failed to meet this standard in 2012, down from 29 per cent in 2006.

CIH’s chief executive, Grainia Long, said: “The Government has focused on measures to boost home ownership, but with more and more people living in the private rented sector – including more older people, more families with children and more vulnerable people from the housing waiting list – it’s vital that we look carefully at new ways to raise standards.”