Landlords Corner: The Decent Homes Standard Is Coming to the Private Rented Sector
A deadline of 2035 sounds comfortably distant. But landlords are being warned that the reformed Decent Homes Standard — which will apply to every privately rented property in England for the first time — is a far bigger undertaking than many realise, and that those who delay could find compliance slipping out of their control.
What's changing?
The reformed standard is built around four criteria that all private rented homes must meet by 2035. Properties must be free from Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS); they must be in a reasonable state of repair; they must offer reasonably modern facilities and services — including adequate heating, sanitation and kitchen facilities that are no more than 20 years old; and they must provide effective insulation and thermal comfort, a requirement that will increasingly overlap with Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and EPC rules.
That last criterion is significant. The new rules demand a higher standard of thermal comfort and energy efficiency than before, which means the cost of compliance could climb further still.
The scale of the challenge
The numbers deserve attention. In 2024-25, 22% of privately rented homes in England failed to meet the current Decent Homes Standard. The English Housing Survey puts the average cost of bringing a non-decent private rented home up to standard at £9,266 — before the more demanding reformed criteria are factored in.
The most common failure triggers — thermal comfort, damp, ageing heating systems and structural disrepair — are concentrated in pre-1980s housing stock. That should give Leytonstone landlords pause. Much of the local rental market is made up of Victorian and Edwardian terraces and period conversions: exactly the type of property where insulation, damp and older heating systems are most likely to fall short of the new benchmark.
Why acting early matters
If you already believe your p[property will fall below the expected standard, it is best to start planning now rather than waiting for the deadline to loom. That means commissioning a formal property condition survey benchmarked against the new criteria, identifying which properties are most at risk of failing, and calculating realistic remediation costs per property — including contractor rates and the interaction with EPC upgrade works. From there, landlords can build a compliance roadmap that sequences work sensibly across a portfolio, tackles Category 1 hazards first, and creates a documented record of compliance planning.
There's a further dimension landlords should be aware of: visibility. Tenants and tenant advocacy groups will soon be able to view local authority enforcement data on housing standards, meaning a landlord's compliance record will effectively become public-facing.
Getting ahead of it
The landlords best placed for 2035 will be those who treat the next few years as a planning window rather than a grace period — spreading costs, securing contractors early and letting compliant, well-maintained homes that tenants actively want.
If you're unsure how your property or portfolio measures up against the new criteria, Trading Places' lettings team knows the local stock intimately and can help you take an honest look at where you stand — and what to prioritise first.
Staying ahead in the Leytonstone rental market
If you are looking for guidance on the Leytonstone rental market, or you just want a helping hand in complying with rental market regulations, we are always here to assist you.
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