Welcome to our first Newsround for July. What do we have for you?
A new Decent Homes Standard consultation launched
There was an original consultation carried out in 2022. However, as the decent homes standard (DHS) is now going to apply to the Private Rented Sector a new consultation has now been launched. A good summary of this has been published by solicitor David Smith on LinkedIn. Some of the points made by David:
- The DHS will allow local authority officers to issue penalties if a property does not meet the standard.
- The suggestion at the moment is that the new standard will be brought into force in 2025 or 2037, which is some way off. Although, as David points out, for properties where a lot of work is needed, this is not really a long time
- Fines for housing health and safety rating system failures will likely go up from £30,000 to £40,000 with Councils able to issue immediate civil penalty notices for up to £7,000
- There is a high level of commitment on the part of the Government
All landlords should read the consultation description papers and respond to the consultation online by the deadline of 10 September 2025.
The NRLA claims that 79% of private rented homes already meet the existing DHS. Ben Beadle, the NRLA CEO comments that although setting the standard is important, this is nothing without proper enforcement against the minority of rogue and criminal landlords.
The Renters’ Rights Bill progress
The bill is currently going through the report stage in the House of Lords. This will end on 15 July. As there will almost certainly not be enough time to deal with the remaining stages of the bill before the summer recess, the bill is now expected to receive the Royal Assent in September or October. It will not come into force immediately, and it is hoped that landlords will be given at least six months to prepare.
There have been some amendments voted in against the government, but I am not going to discuss these (if you want to know more, Suzanne Smith’s very helpful Independent Landlord blog lists them). Any amendments the government does not agree to will almost certainly be voted out in the Commons, and it is really the final version of the bill which is important.
We won’t know this until Royal Assent has been granted. However, government amendments include:
Student lets – where a property is let to students who are in a specified educational establishment and the person acting or managing is a member of a code of practice approved under s233, Housing Act 2004, the tenancy will fall outside the Housing Act 1988 (and the scope of the Renters Rights Bill). The codes currently approved are the codes operated by ANUK/Unipol and UUK for larger student developments. That means developments over 15 rooms. Explained by David Smith on LinkedIn.
Date of rent increase – as discussed here, the current rules will encourage tenants to refer section 13 rent increases for review to the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) as it will defer the date of the rent increase, even if the FTT do not amend the rent. This amendment will allow the Secretary of State to change the effective date of the rent increase by regulation, so that it can come into force on the original date in the section 13 notice. Presumably, this is so they can do this if warnings about excessive pressure on the FTT prove correct.
Council Officers’ right of entry – the bill as a whole gives Council Officers sweeping powers. This amendment will allow them to enter suspected residential tenancies without providing prior notice to the owner if they suspect a breach of the Database rules, harassment of occupier or unlawful eviction. Which will, for example, help them investigate “sham licences” or attempted illegal evictions.
Plug in solar panels?
A new ‘pathway’ document issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero includes plans to launch a safety review to unlock portable plug-in solar panels. This would make it easier for people in rented accommodation and in apartments to install solar panels on their balconies and rooftops. Saying
Renters and those living in apartments could also be set to experience the benefits of solar as the government sets out the steps required to make ‘plug-in’ solar available in the UK. Plug-in solar works in the same way as rooftop solar panels, except it is portable and is connected directly into plug sockets – ideal for apartments with balconies.
Plug-in solar is currently unavailable in the UK due to longstanding regulations. But in Germany, around 435,000 balconies had plug-in solar installed in 2024 alone, saving residents in apartments money on their electricity bills.
It’s worth reading the rest of the document as well, to see the government’s thinking, for example, on new housing standards and grants for property owners.
Landlords’ new AML responsibilities set out by agency
I wrote on my Landlord Law site in May about the new money laundering regulations. At that time many were claiming that they only applied to letting agents and not to landlords.
A post on Landlord Today cites letting agents Beresfords, who are very clear that the rules DO apply to landlords, saying
The new AML rules are a turning point for the lettings industry and will affect landlords in ways many hadn’t anticipated. While the finer details are still being worked through at an industry level, landlords need to be aware of their responsibilities and ensure they’re working with reputable agents who are up to speed.
I would suggest that landlords would be unwise to assume that the regulations do not apply to them, particularly as the fines for non-compliance can be very high indeed.
Snippets
Four Landlords banned for life for serious housing offences
Huge £75,000 fine for letting two flats on Airbnb
Housing minister vows to crack down on property management ‘wild west’
Nearly Legal blog writes about the conviction of a notorious ‘eviction specialist’
NW of England council boasts of £500,000 fines for HMO landlords
Pet deposits and clarity still needed when it comes to Renters’ Rights Bill – Propertymark
See also our Quick News Updates on Landlord Law
Newsround will be back again next week
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