Decent Homes Standard (DHS)
A government standard for minimum housing quality, extended to the private rented sector by the Renters Rights Act 2025. Properties must be free of Category 1 HHSRS hazards, in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and provide reasonable thermal comfort.
At a glance
- Extended to PRS
- Renters’ Rights Act 2025
- Four criteria
- No Cat 1 hazards, reasonable repair, modern facilities, thermal comfort
- Enforcement
- Local housing authority + HHSRS inspection
Full guide
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Open full guideWhy Decent Homes Standard (DHS) matters for landlords
The Decent Homes Standard was a social-housing benchmark for 20 years and its extension to the PRS is one of the biggest structural changes the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 brings. Property that passed a lettable standard a decade ago (single-glazed, tired bathroom, Category 2 damp) can now trigger enforcement if assessed against DHS. Landlords should expect councils to lean into HHSRS inspections as the evidence base for DHS breach cases.
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Official sources
LetCompliance editorial reviews this entry every quarter against the sources above. Always confirm specific duties with a qualified solicitor or your local council.
Related terms
Disrepair
A property condition falling below legal standards under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 or the Decent Homes Standard. Tenants can sue for damages and specific performance, and a valid disrepair claim is a complete defence to a possession claim.
Renters Rights Act 2025
UK legislation that received Royal Assent in 2025 and came fully into force on 1 May 2026. Abolished Section 21 no-fault evictions, converted all ASTs to periodic tenancies, extended the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS, introduced a private rented sector database and gave tenants the right to request pets.
Additional Licensing
A discretionary HMO licensing scheme a council can introduce under section 56 of the Housing Act 2004 to cover smaller HMOs that fall below the mandatory five-person, three-storey threshold. It is separate from selective licensing (which covers all rented homes in a designated area, not just HMOs). Operating an unlicensed HMO where additional licensing applies is a criminal offence with civil penalties up to £30,000 and exposure to a Rent Repayment Order of up to 24 months’ rent.
Article 4 Direction
A planning tool councils use under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 to remove permitted-development rights, most commonly the right to convert a single-family home (Use Class C3) into a small HMO (Use Class C4) without planning permission. In an Article 4 area, every C3 → C4 conversion needs a full planning application, and operating without it can trigger an enforcement notice, a planning contravention notice or a refusal of HMO licence.
Awaab's Law
Provisions extending to the private rented sector under the Renters Rights Act 2025 that set strict timescales for landlords to investigate and remedy hazards such as damp and mould. Named after Awaab Ishak. Breach can lead to tenant compensation and enforcement by the local housing authority.
Banning Order
A court order under Part 2 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 banning a person convicted of certain housing offences from letting property, engaging in lettings agency work or holding an HMO licence. Triggered by a banning-order offence (Schedule 1 of the Act): includes serious housing-condition offences, illegal eviction and unlawful HMO operation. A banned landlord is added to the national database of rogue landlords and breach of the order is itself a criminal offence with up to 51 weeks’ imprisonment.