Landlords face tough new safety rules in biggest safety upgrade in a generation

Housing Secretary Steve Reed has announced a major shake-up to housing decency rules, the first since 2006, as he vowed to make life better for 20million renters

Labour’s housing chief has pledged a massive upgrade to housing rules will make life better for 20million renters.

Steve Reed has unveiled a major shake-up to housing decency rules – including compulsory child-resistant window restrictors to stop the risk of dangerous falls. There will also be new requirements to fix leaking roofs, and a zero-tolerance approach to mould.

Landlords will have a legal duty to fix conditions that make tenants ill, put children at risk and drive-up energy bills. Housing Secretary Mr Reed told The Mirror: “This is one of the biggest upgrades to housing standards in a generation, driven by the simple belief that no one should be left living in dangerous conditions.

“ Everyone deserves a home that is safe, warm and fit to live in, and these changes will improve day-to-day life for 20 million people across the country .”

It will be the first upgrade of the Decent Homes Standard since 2006. For the first time there will be mandatory child-resistant window restrictors – helping to prevent tragic falls.

New rules will also force landlords to fix a wider range of dangerous hazards, including a zero-tolerance approach to damp and mould.

This will build on the rollout of Awaab’s Law, in memory of two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died as a result of mould in his family’s Rochdale flat. Damning official figures show a quarter of a millionchildren are currently living in social homes affected by damp.

Under the new reforms, rules will be tightened to ensure all leaking roofs are fixed, regardless of their age. Currently, than 400,000 social housing households are in homes that fail decency standards.

From 2030, social housing landlords will be required to upgrade homes to meet new energy efficiency standards. Councils, housing associations, and other providers will get greater financial support to ramp up housebuilding.