The state of the nation’s social housing is under heavy scrutiny.
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, councils across the country are being asked serious questions as to how they are protecting the people in their homes, analysis of government data by The Independent has revealed that they are still falling short. Statistics collected in a survey encompassing social homes across England revealed that 1 in 7 of these homes failed to meet the national Decent Homes Standard.
The Decent Homes Standard was established in 2000 with the intention of bringing all social homes up to a minimum standard by the year 2010. Suffice to say that this target has still not been met, however the standards are still used to judge the quality of housing and can help you to assess whether your current home is up to scratch or not. To pass this basic standard your home must:
- be in a reasonable state of repair
- have reasonably modern facilities
- have efficient heating and insulation
- and be free from any hazard that may pose a serious threat to your health or safety
These are very general standards that are subject to some broad interpretation, however housing charity Shelter outlines a few examples of how your home could fail to meet them. A hazard that may pose a serious health and safety risk could be damp, excessive cold (as a result of poor insulation or structural damage) and dangerous electrics, such as exposed wiring.
If you’ve been living in sub-standard conditions for some time, and your housing association or landlord is refusing to make any repairs to your home, then we could help you. Our legal team has years of experience in the field of housing disrepair helping our clients get vital repairs made to their homes, in addition to winning compensation for clients who have lost or damaged property as a result of the disrepair.
Call us today on 0151 242 9050 or send us a message using the contact form below, making sure to give us as much detail as possible, and we’ll see if we can help you out.