The Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is a technical standard for social housing introduced by the government.
The government set out a target in 2000 that it would "ensure that all social housing meets set standards of decency by 2010; the standard was updated in 2006 to take account of the Housing Act 2004, including the implementation of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
The Decent Homes Standard also forms a vital part of the Safety and Quality Standard, one of the four Consumer Standards that apply to social housing landlords.
The Decent Home Standard currently applies to all properties within the social housing sector; it is one of the measures that social landlords must report to the Regulator of Social Housing every year.
In order to be decent a home should be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. The government has defined a dwelling that meets the 'Decent Homes Standard' as one that:
Our surveyors gather information on the age and condition of components when they visit your home, and we record this in our stock condition survey which are completed every 5 years.
We survey our properties to identify and resolve any category one hazards.
We have an investment programme to replace the main components in a property, including roofs, windows, doors, kitchens, bathrooms and boilers. Our stock condition database helps us know where the oldest components are so we can plan to replace them before the condition gets too bad.
You can help us to keep your home in a good state of repair:
