A Guide to Housing Standards in the UK

Understanding housing standards is critical for landlords. It helps them provide a good tenant experience and remain compliant with health and safety requirements.

But there are a lot of different housing standards and many are regularly updated. This makes them difficult to keep track of. 

This guide provides an overview of legislation and housing standards that landlords need to be aware of and comply with. 

These are the latest updates as of April 2025. We’ll make regular updates to this page to keep you up to date.

Laws That Underpin Housing Standards

Two factors underpin housing standards:

Written standards and guidelines: These are documents written by government departments or professional bodies. They explain in detail what good-quality housing looks like. A good example of this is the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Laws: These compel landlords to follow the standards and guidelines. They also outline the penalties that will be issued if landlords fail to meet or follow them.

Here are the three main pieces of legislation governing rental housing standards in England and Wales:

⚖️ Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018

The Act requires that landlords meet property quality and safety standards. 

⚖️ The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985

This requires landlords to ensure all parts of their rental properties are fit for human habitation.

‘Human habitation’ covers a range of factors, including: 

• The property’s state of repair

• Its stability

• Damp

• Internal arrangement

• Natural lighting levels

• Ventilation

• Water supply

• Drainage

• Kitchen facilities

• Hazards

⚖️Social Housing Regulation Act

The Social Housing Regulation Act strengthens the oversight of social housing landlords in England. It gives the Regulator of Social Housing new powers to carry out regular inspections and enforce compliance with safety and quality standards.

Landlords are required to meet strict consumer standards, including on repairs, tenant engagement, and property conditions.

The Act also introduces stronger penalties for landlords who fail to meet their obligations, aiming to improve the quality of homes and protect tenant rights.

What are the new landlord rules for 2025?

Several pieces of new legislation relevant to landlords have been (or are set to be) introduced in 2025.

⚖️Renter’s Rights Bill

• The Renter’s Rights Bill is the latest piece of legislation aimed at strengthening tenant protections in the UK. If passed, it will introduce new measures to enforce housing standards and make landlords more accountable.

• Social and private landlords will be required to meet clearer obligations around property maintenance and repairs, with quicker enforcement action for breaches.

• A national landlord register will be introduced, making it easier for tenants to check whether their landlord can demonstrate compliance with legal requirements.

• There will also be stronger penalties for landlords who fail to meet basic housing standards, including the potential for financial sanctions and restrictions on renting out further properties.

⚖️Awaab’s Law

Awaab’s Law was introduced to strengthen protections for social housing tenants living with damp and mould. It sets strict legal timeframes for landlords to investigate and fix reported hazards in tenants’ homes.

Under the law, social landlords must carry out investigations within 14 days of a complaint, begin repairs within a further 7 days, and complete the work within a reasonable time frame.

The law was introduced following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak and aims to ensure that health and safety hazards in social housing are dealt with quickly and properly.

Social housing providers will need to begin adhering to Awaab’s Law from October 2025. The government will launch a consultation on applying it to the private rented sector this year. 

What Are the Standards for Social Housing?

Social housing standards are set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). 

All social housing providers are required to register with the RSH and it can take action against them if its standards are breached. 

The standards are divided into two main areas: economic and consumer.

Economic standards

All social housing providers (with the exception of local authorities) need to prove they meet three economic standards:

• Governance and financial viability: The organisation must be well-run and remain financially viable, so as not to put the housing stock at risk.

• Value for money: The social housing provider needs to have a clear strategy and objectives, as well as optimising the use of resources in delivering these objectives. 

• Rent: The organisation’s approach to rent must meet the government’s latest rent standard.
  
  

Consumer standards

Consumer standards apply to all registered social housing providers, including local authorities. 

These consumer standards are enshrined in the government’s Decent Homes Standard. The standard is currently being updated following a review. 

The Renters Rights Bill is likely to apply the standard to the private rented sector too. 

There are five consumer standards:

• Homes: This ensures that the accommodation provided, as well as repairs and maintenance services, are good quality.

• Tenancies: This governs how homes are allocated and tenancy terms are set.

• Neighbourhood and community: This governs the management of communal areas and issues around anti-social behaviour.

• Tenant involvement and empowerment: This covers customer service, complaints, tenant rights and involvement.

• Tenant satisfaction measures: Social housing providers need to report on areas such as repairs, safety checks and complaints.

The regulatory standards are just one part of a wider regulatory framework for social housing providers. This also covers codes of practice and guidance for providers. 

Why Is Meeting Minimum Housing Standards Important?

There are several reasons why landlords should strive to meet minimum housing standards.

• It helps landlords provide a good resident experience: No one should have to put up with poor housing conditions. Everyone has the right to a home that is safe and well-maintained.

• There are penalties for not meeting standards: If you don’t meet minimum housing standards, your residents could either complain to their local council or take you to court. 

You could be ordered to make the repairs via an improvement notice or hazard awareness notice issued by your local authority’s housing standards team. Worse, if you are issued with a prohibition order then you may not be able to rent the property at all.  

Residents can take legal action and a court could order you to pay compensation, and your resident’s legal costs.

Minimum Housing Standards

Here are the minimum standards landlords are expected to meet in England and Wales. 

Structurally sound 

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Before landlords can rent out a property they need to ensure it is structurally sound. This means the following elements should be in good condition, with no signs of damage or leakage:

• Walls

• Floors

• Roof

• Bathroom

• Kitchen fittings

• Pipework

• Fixtures and fittings

• Electrics 

Safe levels of damp and mould

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Damp and mould can make your residents ill and damage your property, so it’s critical you deal with it as soon as possible. 

There are three main types of damp:

• Rising damp

• Penetrating damp

• Condensation

Landlords need to ensure their rental properties are well-ventilated and have adequate heating systems.

But your tenant is responsible for ensuring that moisture doesn’t build up in the home. They are also responsible for using ventilation and heating systems correctly.

To find out more, read our article on damp and mould. 

No hazards

Under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, your property needs to be a safe and healthy environment for your tenants. According to the government’s How to Rent a Safe Home guide, this covers:

✅ Temperature

✅ Physical hazards

✅ Overcrowding

✅ Security

✅ Lighting

✅ Hygiene

✅ Water

✅ Pests

✅ Remove or manage hazardous substances

✅ Structural concerns

Meet fire safety standards

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To meet fire safety standards, landlords need to ensure that each of their properties has a working smoke alarm on every floor used for residential purposes. 

They also need to provide a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a combustion-based utility - in other words, something that ignites a fuel.

Landlords are responsible for:

🔥Testing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

🔥Replacing broken or faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Tenants are responsible for ensuring smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have working batteries during their tenancy.

Having the right soft furnishings also plays an important role in meeting fire safety standards. All furniture you supply with a rental property must:

• Have fire safety labels

• Be fire-resistant

• Meet the regulatory requirements set out in the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations

Provide a gas safety certificate  

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Landlords have clear requirements when it comes to gas. Here is a summary:

🌀Gas appliances and flues must be maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

🌀You must provide a landlord gas safety record certificate at the start of the tenancy and within 28 days of each annual gas safety check.

🌀You can find suitably qualified engineers on the Gas Safe Register.

🌀Once you have received your gas safety certificate, you should check it for issues and take action as soon as reasonably possible.

Provide an electrical safety certificate

Like gas, a landlord’s requirements when it comes to electrics are also clear. Here’s an overview of what you must do:

⚡Have electrics at each rental property checked every five years by a qualified electrician.

⚡The electrician will provide you with an electrical safety certificate. You must provide this to your tenants.

⚡You must share inspection results with tenants within 28 days.

⚡Share inspection results with new tenants before occupancy.

⚡Share the report with the local council within 7 days upon request.

⚡Retain a copy for the next inspection.

⚡Complete necessary remedial work within 28 days.

⚡Confirm completion of remedial work in writing to your tenant within 28 days.

Reach an E EPC rating

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) indicates how energy efficient a property is by giving it a rating, from G for inefficient properties up to A for very efficient ones. 

Energy efficiency standards stipulate that all rental properties must achieve an EPC rating of E or above. 

As a landlord, you need to:

• Display the EPC rating of the property when it is advertised.

• Provide a valid EPC to potential tenants as early as possible. 

• Provide a valid EPC at the start of each new tenancy.

• Make energy efficiency improvements up to a value of £3,000 to bring the property up to an E rating or above.
  
  

Use a deposit protection scheme

It is a legal requirement under the Housing Act to store your residents’ deposits in a deposit protection scheme. 

There are three schemes in the England and Wales and you’ll need to sign up to one of them:

• Deposit Protection Service

• Mydeposits

• Tenancy Deposit Scheme

Comply with Property Standards: Get EVO

A large part of complying with property standards involves ensuring your rental properties are in a good state of repair and that any issues are dealt with efficiently.

That’s where EVO can help. Our end-to-end digital platform allows landlords to outsource all their repairs and maintenance. 

This takes the hassle out of keeping your properties in great condition and allows you to provide a great resident experience.

Here’s how it works:

✔️We allow tenants to request their own repairs via a mobile app, putting them in control of their home. 

✔️The job is then automatically assigned to the next available skilled tradesperson - meaning fewer delays and less admin.

✔️Tradespeople are sent all the information they need before the job, including photos and property information, meaning fewer repeat visits.

✔️Key nest system makes property access easy and secure for tenants and tradespeople. 

✔️Real-time job status keeps you and your tenants informed.

✔️Full property history enables you and your tradespeople to see what work has been done in the past.

✔️12 month warranty on all jobs.

✔️Collect and analyse property data for better decision-making. 

✔️24/7 emergency cover, meaning no more panicked calls at all hours.

Get in touch to find out how EVO can help make your property maintenance and repairs more efficient.