The Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is a set of minimum standards for the condition of social housing, set by the government.
To meet the Decent Homes Standard, homes should:
be free of serious health and safety hazards
be in a reasonable state of repair
have reasonably modern facilities and services: for example, kitchens no older than 20 years and bathrooms no older than 30 years
provide effective heating and insulation.
How we monitor the standard of your home
We follow the detailed government Decent Homes guidelines (PDF) when checking the condition of homes and deciding what work they might need to meet the necessary standards.
We carry out home surveys and use data from the other inspections we undertake, as well as information from residents, to check if a home meets the Decent Homes Standard. If it doesn’t, we will prioritise fixing it, either through repairs or by planning further investments in the future.
We’re constantly improving the homes we manage to make sure they meet modern living standards and are more energy efficient, so they’re as comfortable and affordable as possible.
Our 5-year investment programme to improve the homes we manage
We’re investing approximately £186.5m in a 5-year long programme of major works to improve the quality of the homes we manage. This includes replacing over 5,500 kitchens and 3,000 bathrooms, alongside a range of other improvements such as new roofs, windows, external doors, and cyclical decoration.
Our latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report 2024 sets our commitment to sustainability and highlights the progress we’re making to improve customers’ homes.