‘Disgusting’: Renters react to Labour’s decade delay on mouldy home crackdown
Millions of tenants will have to wait almost a decade to get a ‘decent’ home as Labor withdraws its flagship plan to force landlords to improve the conditions of rental properties.
The government’s announcement that the affordable housing standard, which requires homeowners in England to ensure their homes are in a reasonable state of repair and free of damp and mould, will not be introduced until 2035 has sparked a furious response from MPs, campaigners and tenants.
More than a fifth (22 per cent) of privately rented homes in England are not affordable, according to the British Housing Survey published at the end of January. This means more than a million properties across the country are not up to standard, a figure that has remained stable since 2019.
Tish moved into a flat in Liverpool in 2017 “with the expectation that things would sort out during the tenancy”. What he experienced instead was “eight years of murder,” as unresolved dampness, mold, and neglect led to deterioration of his health and, at some points, physical danger.
Responding to the government’s decision to delay implementation of the decent housing standard, he said: “I think it’s absolutely disgusting.
“If homeowners knew there was a more robust system out there…they wouldn’t be trying to do half the work they do.”
The mother-of-one’s first warning sign was a leaky flat roof extension “as soon as we moved in”. Ignored by the homeowner, this building would collapse in 2024, flooding the kitchen. “If anyone was standing underneath, it would have killed them,” Tish says.
Throughout her tenancy, Tish dealt with numerous disrepairs, including missing stair railings, crumbling stairs, cabinets falling off the walls, and a rusted bathtub.
But one of the worst problems was with the carpets, which he described as “the spores from the mold creating this pungent odor” and attracting rodents.
“My daughter and I were in very poor health from all of this,” Tish says. “We had breathing problems. There wasn’t a single day when we weren’t uncomfortable.”
“My dog went to the vet four times for skin problems and breathing problems,” she says.[My landlord] “He knew he could get away with it, and he did.”
Under current rules, private homeowners must ensure their homes are free of ‘Category 1’ hazards, such as serious mold and neglect, which could cause health problems or injuries. Local authorities can enforce this and issue fines of up to £30,000 for non-compliance (rising to £40,000 in May).
The affordable housing standard, which currently applies to the social rented sector, will take this further. It requires items such as windows and boilers to be in reasonable repair, fairly modern facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms, and adequately heated.
Adrian Fletcher, 54, moved into his current flat on the South East coast in December 2024 after receiving a Section 21 eviction notice for his previous property of 11 years. After struggling to find somewhere to live for four months and facing eviction due to his landlord’s legal two-month notice, Adrian was only able to find somewhere “unspeakably terrible”.
He says cabinets and shelves are falling off the walls, and there is moisture and mold in almost every room. Adrian says the worst part was the spare room, where “the wall was constantly wet.”
“You put your hand in there, you lift it up and you can see the moisture on your hand. It’s so wet,” he says.
Adrian uses this area for his belongings and that’s why there are many cardboard boxes in here now. He was recently horrified to find DVDs in plastic cases inside one of the boxes being eaten away by mold.
He says he is “horrified” by the delayed changes: “I understand… this is not something that can happen overnight. But to put a limit on this close to 10 years seems absolutely ridiculous.”
Adrian says his living room is “incredibly cold” because it has no double-glazed windows and humidity has built up in one of the walls. “I have to sponge all the windows because of the condensation,” says Adrian. These conditions, he adds, exacerbated his chronic pain from a spinal injury several years ago.
Adrian says that after his previous experience, he did not want to put too much pressure on the work to be carried out until he was sure he would not be given a Section 21 notice. The controversial ‘no fault’ eviction power will be banned from May under the Workers Tenant Rights Act.
RRC spokesman Paul Shanks said: “A fifth of rented homes in England fail to meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard. “From damp and mold to faulty boilers and broken windows, a range of problems are devastating the lives of millions of tenants, many of whom pay for the privilege.
“The government’s lack of urgency gives negligent landlords the green light to continue profiting from rotting homes, and this will have real consequences for the health and wellbeing of millions of tenants. We are asking the government to bring forward the timeline – tenants cannot afford to wait a decade for these basic protections.”
An MHCLG spokesman said: “Current rules are clear that landlords must address the serious problems that currently exist and councils can impose large fines on landlords in the worst cases.
“We are ensuring tenants have safe and decent homes through the Tenants’ Rights Act and the Awaab Act – we are working to extend the Awaab Act to private lettings and from winter this year we will introduce the Private Landlord Ombudsman to resolve complaints quickly and fairly.
“Some of the Decent Home Standard measures, such as the updated Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, can be implemented sooner, resulting in cheaper energy bills and warmer homes for tenants.”
