Housing Conditions in England

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Open Inquiry
Opened: 3 Jul 2025 Parliament page
The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is holding an inquiry into the condition of homes in England. The Government has set out plans to deliver a decade of renewal in the provision of social and affordable homes , including a “transformational” and “lasting change in the safety and quality … Read more
52 Recommendations
40 Conclusions
3 Reports
7 Oral sessions
16 Letters
7 Events
Activity timeline 28 events
15 Jul
2026
Correspondence
8 Jul
2026
Correspondence
7 Jul
2026
Oral evidence
3 Jul
2026
Report published
24 Jun
2026
Report published
17 Jun
2026
Correspondence
17 Jun
2026
Correspondence
22 May
2026
Correspondence
19 May
2026
Correspondence
28 Apr
2026
Report published
22 Apr
2026
Report published
14 Apr
2026
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 7 sessions
7 Jul 2026
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Oral Evidence
Emma Payne · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Joanna Key · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Matthew Pennycook MP · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 Apr 2026
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Oral Evidence
Chloe Fletcher · Chartered Institute of Housing Jennie Daly · Taylor Wimpey Nigel Cates · The New Homes Ombudsman Service Richard Smith · National House Building Council Stephen Teagle · Vistry Group Steve Turner · Home Builders Federation
27 Jan 2026
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Oral Evidence
Christa Maciver · Justlife Foundation Councillor Grace Williams · London Councils Dr Laura Neilson · Shared Health Foundation Joe Lane · Office of the Children's Commissioner Joseph Donohue · Greater Manchester Combined Authority Matt Downie · Crisis Paul Kitson · Newham Council Stephen Philpott · Birmingham City Council
25 Nov 2025
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Oral Evidence
Ashlea Birch · Manchester City Council Fiona MacGregor · Regulator of Social Housing Ian Sanders · Hull City Council James Wilson · Great Yarmouth Borough Council Joe Roberts · Cornwall Council Jonathan Walters · Regulator of Social Housing
4 Nov 2025
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Oral Evidence
Anny Cullum · ACORN Ben Beadle · National Residential Landlords Association Deborah Garvie · Shelter Dr Jennifer Harris · TDS Charitable Foundation Kate Markey · Nationwide Foundation Nye Jones · Generation Rent Timothy Douglas · Propertymark
14 Oct 2025
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Oral Evidence
Alistair Smyth · National Housing Federation Councillor Sarah King · Southwark Council Craig Moule · Sanctuary Ian McDermott · G15 Kwajo Tweneboa Nic Bliss · Stop Social Housing Stigma Richard Blakeway · Housing Ombudsman Service
9 Sep 2025
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Oral Evidence
Dr Henry Dawson · Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Helen Garrett · Building Research Establishment Michael Erhardt · Disability Rights UK Millie Brown · Centre for Better Ageing Professor Sir Michael Marmot · Institute for Health Equity
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
Clear
5 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Provide clear roadmap and guidance for the remaining phases of Awaab's Law.
Even though social landlords have been anticipating the introduction of Awaab’s Law for some time, the way the Government managed the introduction of Phase 1 unnecessarily added to the uncertainty and complexity providers had to grapple with to ensure they … Read more
Government Response
The government responded to its consultation on an updated Decent Homes Standard, designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality and provides certainty to plan and spread costs long-term with a deadline of 2035.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Retrofitting social homes requires accelerated progress and clearer funding certainty.
Progress at retrofitting social homes needs to accelerate if the sector is going to upgrade the remaining homes up to the required standard by 2030. The Government has not yet provided sufficient clarity to the sector on the funding available … Read more
Government Response
The government states it is focused on delivering transformational change and rebuilding financial capacity, but does not specifically address the lack of clarity on retrofit funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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8 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Urgently provide clarity on funding for social housing retrofit improvements.
The Government needs to urgently provide the sector with clarity on the funding that will be available over the remainder of this Parliament to help providers deliver the necessary improvements. (Recommendation, Paragraph 40)
Government Response
The government states that the Regulator of Social Housing has introduced a new consumer regulation regime and is committed to developing detailed guidance on the revised Decent Homes Standard, but provides no specific details on funding.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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12 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Introduce a process to periodically review and update the Decent Homes Standard
The Government must introduce a process to periodically review and, if necessary, update the Decent Homes Standard at least every 10 years to ensure it reflects the changing needs of the population, environmental pressures, scientific evidence of the hazards to … Read more
Government Response
The government responded to its consultation on an updated Decent Homes Standard, designed to meet modern expectations of housing quality and provides certainty to plan and spread costs long-term with a deadline of 2035.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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18 Conclusion Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Social housing providers lack capacity to deliver improvements due to supply chain issues
The steps the Government is taking to rebuild the sector’s financial capacity to invest in new and existing homes will help providers to meet new regulatory standards. However, we are concerned that supply chain constraints, workforce shortages and the limited … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the need for a skilled supply chain and is working with the industry to provide training opportunities and build a diverse workforce, but provides no specific commitments.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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21 Recommendation Acknowledged
4th Report – Housing Conditions in…
Set out timeframe for statutory New Homes Ombudsman and mandatory consumer code
In response to this report, the Government must set out the timeframe for creating a statutory, UK-wide New Homes Ombudsman and the details of the mandatory consumer code developers will need to abide by. (Recommendation, Paragraph 77) 49
Government Response
The government remains committed to implementing a statutory New Homes Ombudsman scheme, but provides no timeframe or details of the consumer code.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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3 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
We welcome the Government’s decision to apply the new Decent Homes Standard to temporary accommodation.
We welcome the Government’s decision to apply the new Decent Homes Standard to temporary accommodation. A national minimum standard covering all temporary accommodation will help to raise the quality of accommodation provided. However, while we recognise the need for an … Read more
Government Response
The government welcomes the application of the Decent Homes Standard to temporary accommodation and plans to apply the reformed standard wherever possible, noting current standards already apply. It acknowledges the need for an implementation period but doesn't set specific interim targets, instead committing to publish guidance by end of 2026 and work with sector bodies.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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17 Recommendation Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
The ministry must update the statutory guidance to make clear that placing families in accommodation...
The ministry must update the statutory guidance to make clear that placing families in accommodation where the need to share facilities with single male adults is not suitable and should work with councils to bring such placements to an end. … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the importance of safeguarding and minimizing risks, stating current guidance prohibits B&Bs for families. They commit to engaging with the sector to consider whether further guidance amendments are needed to clarify that placements for children must minimize safeguarding risks.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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19 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
We welcome the government’s decision to apply the Decent Homes Standard to temporary accommodation.
We welcome the government’s decision to apply the Decent Homes Standard to temporary accommodation. However, we are concerned that the standard will not guarantee people housed in some types of temporary accommodation access to the basic facilities, such as a … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledged the concern, stating the Decent Homes Standard already applies to social landlord temporary accommodation. They committed to engaging with the sector to implement the standard across different temporary accommodation types and are reviewing compliance and considering amending the Suitability Order.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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27 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
Competition between local authorities and other public bodies drives up the costs of temporary accommodation...
Competition between local authorities and other public bodies drives up the costs of temporary accommodation and restricts the ability of local authorities to raise standards locally. We are pleased that the ministry is working with the Home Office to test … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the concern about competition driving up temporary accommodation costs, stating it is working to explore a value-for-money model for asylum accommodation and using crown land to mitigate issues and reduce homelessness risk.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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29 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
We are concerned about councils’ increasing reliance on privately managed, nightly-paid accommodation.
We are concerned about councils’ increasing reliance on privately managed, nightly-paid accommodation. This provision is not merely expensive. The use of nightly-paid accommodation limits councils’ ability to raise standards and offers little stability to households who are at risk of … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the concern regarding expensive, poor-quality nightly-paid accommodation and states it is considering incentives for local authorities to enter better value, longer-term arrangements as part of a review.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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31 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
We remained concerned the government’s decision to freeze the Local Housing Allowance is contributing to...
We remained concerned the government’s decision to freeze the Local Housing Allowance is contributing to more people being more at risk of homelessness and in need of temporary accommodation. The freeze also makes it difficult for councils to help households … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges concerns about the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) freeze, stating it will keep LHA rates under review and notes that rates were set to the 30th percentile from April 2024. It also points to the Crisis Resilience Fund Housing Payment for additional support.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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37 Conclusion Acknowledged
5th Report - Housing Conditions in…
We welcome the efforts that the ministry is taking to improve the physical condition of...
We welcome the efforts that the ministry is taking to improve the physical condition of temporary accommodation. However, if providers choose to sell properties that are too costly to upgrade or try to take advantage of regulatory gaps between tenures, … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the risk that interventions to raise temporary accommodation standards could adversely impact supply, outlining its National Plan to End Homelessness, including a £950 million fund and exploring partnerships to invest in quality accommodation.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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Government Response AI assessment · 59 of 52 classified
Accepted 21
Accepted in Part 7
Acknowledged 13
Deferred 11
Not Addressed 4
Rejected 3
Total 52 recs + 40 conclusions
Correspondence 16 letters
15 Jul 2026 To committee Letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy to the Chair dated 13 July 2026 concerning the quality of new-build homes
Parliament page
8 Jul 2026 To committee Letter from Age UK to the Chair dated 16 June 2026 concerning accessibility standards in new homes
Parliament page
17 Jun 2026 To committee Letter from the National Residential Landlords Association to the Chair dated 19 November 2025 concerning further points on Housing Conditions in England
Parliament page
17 Jun 2026 To committee Letter from the Nationwide Foundation to the Chair dated 11 November 2025 concerning standards in the Private Rented Sector
Parliament page
22 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 20 May 2026 concerning new build homes
Parliament page
19 May 2026 To committee Letter from the Home Builders Federation to the Chair dated 1 May 2026 concerning development costs and accessibility
Parliament page
26 Feb 2026 To committee Letter from the Regulator of Social Housing to the Chair dated 23 February 2026 following up oral evidence on Housing Conditions in England
Parliament page
14 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 7 January 2026 concerning housing conditions in England
Parliament page
14 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 9 January 2026 concerning accessibility standards in new homes
Parliament page
3 Dec 2025 To committee Letter from TDS Charitable Foundation to the Chair dated 24 November 2025 concerning housing conditions and renters rights
Parliament page
27 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 26 November 2025 following up correspondence on accessibility standards in new homes
Parliament page
20 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 20 November 2025 concerning Housing Conditions in England
Parliament page
12 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the National Housing Federation to the Chair dated 4 November 2025 following up oral evidence given before the Committee on 14 October
Parliament page
12 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 7 November concerning accessibility standards in new homes
Parliament page
12 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from Sanctuary Housing to the Chair dated 4 November following up oral evidence given before the Committee on 14 October
Parliament page
15 Oct 2025 To committee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 15 October 2025 concerning accessibility standards in new homes
Parliament page