Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 15 February 2022 to Question 120801 on Housing: Regional Planning and Development, whether the planned legally binding Decent Home Standard will include a requirement for all homes to be free of unsafe electrics.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
We are committed to driving up standards in private rented accommodation and we will be consulting on introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard (DHS) in the Private Rented Sector.
Rented homes must already be free of the most serious ‘category 1’ hazards, which include but are not limited to issues such as electrical and fire safety, dampness and cold assessed using the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS). We are reviewing the HHSRS to ensure the system is more accessible and easier to understand for landlords and tenants, and facilitates the effective enforcement of housing standards by local authorities.
We will publish a White Paper in spring this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 February 2022 to Question 120801 on Housing: Regional Planning and Development, whether the planned legally binding Decent Home Standard will include a requirement for all homes to be free of gas safety risks.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
We are committed to driving up standards in private rented accommodation and we will be consulting on introducing a legally binding Decent Homes Standard (DHS) in the Private Rented Sector.
Rented homes must already be free of the most serious ‘category 1’ hazards, which include but are not limited to issues such as electrical and fire safety, dampness and cold assessed using the housing health and safety rating system (HHSRS). We are reviewing the HHSRS to ensure the system is more accessible and easier to understand for landlords and tenants, and facilitates the effective enforcement of housing standards by local authorities.
We will publish a White Paper in spring this year that will set out our proposals for reform of the private rented sector.
Asked by: Paul Maynard (Conservative - Blackpool North and Cleveleys)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his policy is on mandating training for private landlords and letting agents.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Government is committed to raising standards of services provided by landlords and agents in the private rental sector. We do not currently mandate any training for private landlords or letting agents although there are various legislative requirements that they are expected to meet when letting a home in the private rented sector. This includes meeting electrical and gas safety standards and protecting a tenant's deposit with a government approved scheme. The Government provides a 'How to Let' guide to support landlords and agents in meeting their responsibilities.
The Government is considering the recommendations in the report received on the regulation of property agents from Lord Best's working group, and we will continue to work with industry on improving best practice.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of landlords to fulfil their responsibilities under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations, by 1 April 2020; and whether landlords who fail satisfy the Regulations as a result of the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021 will be penalised.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Many landlords and agents take their responsibility seriously and already make sure electrical installations are safe. Even before these regulations came into force, landlords were legally required to make sure that their properties are free of serious electrical hazards. These regulations therefore require all landlords to do what good landlords already do — make sure the electrical installations in their rented properties are safe. However, landlord and agent groups have reported to us that there are still large numbers of rented properties with potentially dangerous electrical installations. This highlights just how important the regulations are, as poorly maintained electrical installations and electrical faults can cause deaths or injury and tenants are spending more, if not all, of their time in the home.
In order to allow landlords time to comply with the regulations they have been phased in. We have published guidance, for landlords, tenants and local authorities in the context of Covid-19 which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities.
The regulations are clear on the issue of compliance. A landlord will not be in breach of the duty to comply with a remedial notice if the landlord can show they have taken all reasonable steps to comply. We have also advised local authorities that we expect them to take a pragmatic and common-sense approach to enforcement of these regulations, and other standards in the private rented sector, and that the level of any penalty should be set taking into account likely harm and culpability.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration is being given to the introduction of mandatory electrical safety checks in the social rented sector.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Government is committed to ensuring that everyone is safe, and feels safe, in their home.
We published our Green Paper, "A new deal for social housing", in August last year. It asked whether new safety measures in the private rented sector should apply to social housing, including the proposed mandatory requirement on private landlords to ensure electrical installations in their property are inspected every five years. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and will publish our action plan for implementing social housing reform in due course.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce mandatory electrical safety checks in the social rented sector in England.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Government is committed to ensuring that everyone is safe, and feels safe, in their home.
We published our Green Paper, "A new deal for social housing", in August last year. It asked whether new safety measures in the private rented sector should apply to social housing, including the proposed mandatory requirement on private landlords to ensure electrical installations in their property are inspected every five years. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation and will publish our action plan for implementing social housing reform in due course.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of electrical fires in the home.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Home Office officials routinely discuss electrical safety issues with the NFCC to ensure opportunities to drive down electrical fires and promote electrical safety are utilised.
The Department has facilitated close links between the National Fire Chiefs Council, product safety officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the sector-led Register My Appliance initiative to promote electrical fire safety messages and encourages fire and rescue services to increase the focus on electrical and product safety within their engagement with members of the public.
The Home Office’s national Fire Kills campaign, run in partnership with the NFCC, collaborates with Electrical Safety First to run the annual Electrical Fire Safety Week. The Week is used by fire and rescue services and others to promote electrical fire safety messages.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of house fires caused by electrical sources of ignition.
Answered by Nick Hurd
Home Office officials routinely discuss electrical safety issues with the NFCC to ensure opportunities to drive down electrical fires and promote electrical safety are utilised.
The Department has facilitated close links between the National Fire Chiefs Council, product safety officials at the Department for Business and the sector-led Register My Appliance initiative to encourage fire and rescue services to increase the focus on electrical and product safety within their engagement with members of the public.
The Home Office’s national fire safety campaign, run in partnership with the NFCC, collaborates with Electrical Safety First to run the annual Electrical Fire Safety Week. The Week is used by fire and rescue services and others to promote electrical fire safety messages.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the adequacy of the legislation protecting private sector tenants.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is committed to offering stronger protections for private sector tenants and ensuring that people are living in safe and good quality properties.
Tenants are protected from eviction through the Protection from Eviction Act 1977, the Housing Act 1988, the Housing Act 1985 and through the retaliatory eviction provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015.
Other legislation includes the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 requiring landlords to keep electrical installations in the property in repair and proper working order and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), introduced by the Housing Act 2004 to assess health and safety in residential properties. The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) regulations protect tenants from death or injury in the home caused by smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning, and the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Sector Property) (England and Wales) Regulations improve the energy efficiency of domestic privately rented properties.
Government is now going further and has announced a mandatory requirement on landlords in the private rented sector to ensure electrical installations in their property are inspected every five years and is supporting the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill.
Asked by: Lord Tope (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what grant schemes are available to home owners to improve electrical safety in their dwellings.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Department does not run any grant schemes for home owners to improve electrical safety in their dwellings.