The Decent Homes Standard for private landlords (from 2035)
The Renters' Rights Act brings the Decent Homes Standard to private lets. The government has set 2035 as the date it applies. What it asks, and what applies today.
In short: The Decent Homes Standard will apply to most private rented homes in England from 2035, the date the government set after its 2025 consultation. Councils will enforce it, with fines of up to £7,000. Until then the existing rules still apply: no serious hazards, repairs kept up, and a home fit to live in.
Repairs and standardsThe Renters’ Rights Act
England. Checked against the law on 9 November 2026. Information, not legal advice.
What it is
The Decent Homes Standard sets a minimum condition for a rented home. It has applied to council and housing association homes for years. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 lets it apply to private lets too, with a legal duty on landlords to meet it.
When it applies
The government consulted in 2025 on two dates, 2035 or 2037. Its policy statement says the new standard will apply from 2035 to both social and private rented homes. The government chose the date to give landlords time to deal with the other Renters' Rights Act changes first.
What the new standard asks
In broad terms, a decent home:
- has no serious hazards (the category 1 hazards of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, such as damp and mould, cold, falls and fire);
- is in a reasonable state of repair;
- has reasonably modern facilities, such as a kitchen and bathroom that work;
- is reasonably warm, with heating and insulation that work.
The new version updates these tests, including on damp and mould and on the age of kitchens and bathrooms. The full details are in the government's policy statement, linked below.
What applies today
You do not wait for 2035 to keep a home safe. Today:
- the home must be fit to live in at the start and all through the tenancy (Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018);
- you must keep the structure, heating, hot water, gas, electrics and drains in repair (Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 11);
- the council can act on serious hazards under the Housing Act 2004, with improvement notices and fines;
- the gas check, EICR and EPC rules apply as before.
How it will be enforced
Councils will enforce the standard for private lets. They will have a duty to act on the most serious failures, and can fine a landlord up to £7,000.
What to do now
Plan the bigger jobs (a new kitchen, a bathroom, windows, insulation) into the years before 2035, and deal with damp, mould and hazards as soon as they are reported. Keep a record of what you found and what you fixed.
This guide is general guidance for England, not legal advice.
Where this comes from
Questions landlords ask
Does the Decent Homes Standard apply to private landlords now?
Not yet. The government has set 2035 as the date it applies to private rented homes. Until then the fitness, repair and hazard rules that already exist still apply.
What is the fine for not meeting the Decent Homes Standard?
Once it applies, councils can issue a civil penalty of up to £7,000, as set out in the Renters' Rights Act.
Is damp and mould covered?
Yes. Serious damp and mould is a hazard under today's rules, and the new standard sets out more on it.
Read next
Guide
Awaab's Law, damp and mould: what landlords must do and by when
Awaab's Law sets fixed times to investigate and fix damp, mould and other serious hazards. It has applied to social housing since 27 October 2025. The Renters' Rights Act lets the government extend it to private lets; it is in consultation until 18 December 2026; no start date has been set. Until then your existing repair and fitness duties still bite.
Guide
Renters' Rights Act: what changed for landlords
The Renters' Rights Act came into force in England on 1 May 2026. Section 21 is gone, every tenancy is now periodic, and rent rises follow one procedure. Here is what a self-managing landlord actually has to do differently.
Guide
What is the minimum EPC rating to let a home in England?
A home you let in England needs an EPC rated E or better, unless an exemption is on the PRS Exemptions Register. The planned rise to C from 1 October 2030 is government policy but still needs new law.
Guide
What can landlords be fined for in England? A checklist
Every penalty a private landlord in England can face, with the official maximum for each: the Renters' Rights Act's £7,000 and £40,000 civil penalties, rent repayment orders of up to two years' rent, deposits, fees, right to rent, gas, electrics, alarms, energy ratings and licensing. Maxima only, from GOV.UK and the legislation; councils set their own starting points.
Templates, terms and news on this
Glossary
Awaab's Law
Rules setting fixed times for landlords to investigate and fix damp, mould and other serious hazards. In force for social housing; due to be extended to private lets.
Glossary
Decent Homes Standard
A standard a home must meet: free of serious hazards, in reasonable repair, with reasonably modern facilities and warm. Applies to social housing now, and to private lets from 2035.
Glossary
Category 1 hazard
The most serious level of hazard under the HHSRS. When a council finds one in a home, it must take enforcement action.
Glossary
EICR codes: C1, C2, C3 and FI
The codes an electrician uses on an EICR: C1 danger present, C2 potentially dangerous, FI further investigation needed, C3 improvement recommended.
Read enough? Upload a document to start.
The PA keeps every date in this guide for you and asks before anything that costs money.