The UK Decent Homes Standard ensures a minimum level of housing quality, but research shows it needs updating to better support mental health. Research by Faye Sanders, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, highlights how housing conditions impact well-being. She calls for person-centered reforms, incorporating tenant perspectives to create healthier, more supportive living environments for all.
Faye Sanders is a PhD researcher at the University of Bath and works on understanding the relationship between the built environment and health. Faye is an academic advisor for the partnership between NHS Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authorities. In addition, Faye is the recently appointed Co-Chair of the Housing Studies Association Healthy Homes Research Network.
The UK Decent Homes Standard, introduced in 2006, outlines the minimum quality requirements for housing in the social housing sector. However, the need to update this standard has become increasingly clear as housing challenges and tenant needs evolve. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) plans to announce a consultation on the Decent Homes Standard in early 2025 as explained in its consultation on future social housing rent policy. At the same time, the Renters’ Rights Bill currently being debated in Parliament raises the possibility of extending the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector. This context presents a timely opportunity to examine the current standards and consider what changes might be needed to improve population health.
The Decent Homes Standard establishes specific criteria for housing quality, grouped into four main categories:
- The home must meet the statutory minimum standard for housing.
- It must be in a reasonable state of repair.
- It should have reasonably modern facilities and services.
- It must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort.
The statutory minimum standard is defined as the absence of category 1 hazards, which are risks that pose significant harm to occupants. These include dangers such as damp and mould, fire hazards, and structural deficiencies, as determined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). Standards for modern facilities specify, for example, that kitchens should be no more than 20 years old and bathrooms no more than 30 years old. However, these criteria also involve further judgments, such as the appropriateness of a bathroom’s location. For instance, bathrooms accessible only through a bedroom are considered inappropriate unless the property is designed for single occupancy.
While these standards aim to ensure a basic level of housing quality and protect tenants, they have faced criticism for being outdated and overly focused on structural and technical aspects. A 2017 social housing white paper outlined a need to update the standards. For example, it was suggested that the inclusion of access to high-quality green spaces should be included as an additional measurement of housing quality.
At the University of Bath, in collaboration with colleagues from Harvard Medical School, we have been investigating the links between poor-quality housing and mental health across the lifespan. Using data from a cohort study of around 9,000 participants in the Bristol area (the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children), our research revealed significant links between experiences of poor housing quality and symptoms of depression. Importantly, our definition of housing quality extended beyond the Decent Homes Standard to include factors such as house size, facilities (e.g., access to outdoor space), temperature, decorations (e.g., new furniture, carpets, or wallpaper), and tenants’ feelings of satisfaction with their homes (see image below). The findings highlighted that poor housing conditions contribute to worse mental health outcomes.
Our research also identified biological mechanisms that may underpin these associations. Specifically, we found that the relationship between poor housing and depression was partly explained by DNA methylation, a process that influences gene expression. Some of the identified sites were linked to genes associated with brain health and obesity, providing a potential explanation for how the housing environment impacts both mental and physical health.
When we examined which specific components of housing quality had the strongest impact on mental health, one stood out: tenants’ feelings of satisfaction with their home. This finding suggests that person-centered measures of housing quality and how tenants feel about their home are more predictive of tenant mental health outcomes than the current UK Decent Homes Standard measures.
The implications of our research are clear: to effectively protect tenants’ mental health, the UK Decent Homes Standard needs to incorporate more person-centered criteria. While inspections by trained professionals remain essential, they should be complemented by formal mechanisms for gathering tenants’ perspectives. This could involve structured surveys or interviews to assess satisfaction and identify specific areas of concern. Giving tenants a greater voice in the evaluation process would ensure that housing standards address not only physical conditions but also the lived experiences of residents.
As policymakers prepare for the upcoming consultation on the Decent Homes Standard, the inclusion of tenant perspectives should be a central consideration. If the UK Decent Homes Standard purpose is to protect the health of tenants, there needs to be a greater focus on person-centered measures of housing than what the standards currently allow for.
Extending the Decent Homes Standard to the private rented sector, as proposed in the Renters’ Rights Bill, represents another critical opportunity. Our research highlights the significant impact of poor housing quality on mental health, even among individuals with higher socioeconomic status. In essence, inadequate housing conditions are a critical risk factor for mental health across socioeconomic boundaries. Therefore, implementing the UK Decent Homes Standard more broadly would support better mental health outcomes across the population.
Housing is a fundamental determinant of health and well-being, and the upcoming consultation on the updates to the Decent Homes Standard presents an excellent opportunity to improve the standards to protect population mental health. Our research underscores the importance of going beyond technical assessments to include the voices of those who live in these homes. By aligning housing policy with tenants’ lived experiences, we can create standards that not only ensure basic safety but also promote mental health and overall quality of life. As the government prepares for its consultation, we encourage policymakers, housing providers, and the public to engage in this critical conversation.
All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of the IPR, nor of the University of Bath.
Responses
I still see properties, mainly tenanted that have minimal insulation and no tenant understanding of how to make the house operate correctly. Insulation is one thing but lack of consistent internal heating encourages internal/interstitial condensation. The house has to be capable of maintaining an internal heat profile of say 15 to 17centigrade and the tenant/householder needs to now how to attain this. Houses should be insulated to a level to allow economic heating and the householder should undertake to protect the house, their home. Without the basis ,understanding and perhaps the wherewithal to pay for the internal environment upkeep, standards alone are unlikely to change anything.