More than one in five private rented homes in England currently fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) according to an analysis from a PropTech firm. 

Inventory Base suggests that these properties would be illegal to let once the Decent Homes Standard is extended to the private sector under the provisions of the Renters Rights Bill, coming into law this autumn. 

The DHS is a government-issued minimum standard of housing conditions for those living in social housing, such as council houses and homes provided by housing associations. However, the RRB contains a mechanism that will extend the DHS to also cover the private rented sector.

The government suggests that any changes to the DHS will not have to be implemented by either 2035 or 2037. The long lead time aims to give private landlords sufficient time to ensure their housing meets the standard. But parallel improvements to boost energy efficiency – and contained in the so-called Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards – are set to become mandatory much sooner, by 2030.

Inventory Base has analysed latest available government data and found that an estimated total 3.78 million residential dwellings in England currently fall below the Decent Homes Standard, equivalent to 14.9% of all homes.

When it comes to social housing, the data shows that, despite the DHS having been in place since 2006, 10.3% of dwellings still fall below the required standard, equivalent to an estimated 428,000 homes.

In the private sector, 15.8% of all homes fall below the required standard. However, when it comes to private rented homes specifically – as opposed to owner occupied homes which won’t, of course, be impacted by the Renter’s Rights Bill proposal and subsequent DHS reform – a massive 21% of properties fall below the DHS, equivalent to an estimated 1.027 million homes.

This means that, should the RRB pass into law with the proposed DHS reforms intact, more than one in five private rented homes will require upgrading in order to be legally let to tenants, placing a huge financial burden on the nation’s landlords.

An Inventory Base spokesperson says: “If the DHS proposal becomes law, over a million privately rented homes will require significant upgrades. That’s a massive, time-intensive, and costly task, especially without a clear support structure. The likely outcome? Widespread non-compliance or accelerated landlord sell-offs.

“Agents and landlords need clarity now. They must assess where they stand, what actions will be required by 2035 or 2037, and how tools like property inspections can close the gap between today’s standards and tomorrow’s expectations.

“While consultation is important, deferring implementation until 2035 or later isn’t strategic – it’s negligent. The delay legitimises inaction and leaves millions of tenants stuck in substandard homes for another decade, despite the fact we already have the data and tools to start driving progress.”

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