The new Decent Homes Standard for private landlords. One in five PRS homes currently fails. Here is what Huntingdonshire landlords must know before 2035.

The Decent Homes Standard now applies to private rented homes in England for the first time. Confirmed through the government's policy statement on 28 January 2026, the standard sets five mandatory criteria that every private rented property in England must meet. Full compliance is required by 2035, but local authorities already hold enforcement powers for the most serious failures.

What is the Decent Homes Standard and who does it cover?

The Decent Homes Standard (DHS) has defined the minimum quality baseline for social housing in England since 2000. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 extended the standard to the private rented sector for the first time, creating a single quality benchmark across all rented homes, social and private alike.

Around 21% of privately rented homes in England currently fall below the standard on at least one criterion. For landlords in Huntingdon and across the wider Huntingdonshire patch, that national rate implies roughly one in five let properties may require attention before 2035.

What are the five criteria landlords must meet?

A privately rented home passes the new standard only if it meets all five criteria:

1. 1.Free of Category 1 hazards. Assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), Category 1 hazards include serious damp and mould, excess cold, structural failure risk, fire risk, and electrical safety failures. A property with any Category 1 hazard fails the standard outright.
2. 2.In a reasonable state of repair. The roof, walls, windows, doors, chimneys, plumbing, heating systems and internal fixtures must all be in good working order, with no significant disrepair.
3. 3.Adequate facilities and services. The property must have a suitably modern kitchen, a bath or shower, and working hot and cold water throughout.
4. 4.Effective thermal comfort. There must be adequate fixed heating capable of maintaining a reasonable indoor temperature in cold weather, alongside appropriate insulation.
5. 5.Free from damp and mould. This stands as a standalone criterion on top of the HHSRS test. A property where damp or mould is present but has not yet reached Category 1 severity can still fail the standard.

When can councils act, and what are the penalties?

The 2035 deadline does not give landlords a nine-year window to ignore poor property conditions. Local authorities already have an immediate power to issue civil penalties of up to £7,000 where a Category 1 hazard exists and the landlord has not taken reasonably practicable steps to address it. This enforcement power came into effect ahead of the full DHS framework. For repeated or more serious failures, penalties rise to a maximum of £40,000.

Huntingdonshire District Council is the local authority responsible for private sector housing enforcement across the patch. Landlords who receive a written complaint about conditions and fail to respond promptly face the highest penalty risk.

The key distinction is between active enforcement (councils can act now for Category 1 hazards) and the broader standard (full compliance required by 2035). In practice, the damp and mould criterion and the thermal comfort criterion are the two most frequently triggered, particularly for older housing stock. Our guide to EPC C and energy efficiency requirements covers the thermal comfort overlap in detail.

Which Huntingdonshire properties are most at risk of failing?

Huntingdonshire's rental market covers a wide range of housing types. Several are more likely to present DHS challenges:

• ·Pre-1970s properties with solid walls and no cavity insulation. Thermal comfort is harder to achieve without significant upgrade works, and solid-wall damp penetration is a common source of mould.
• ·Rural village lets with oil-fired or older gas boilers that have not been replaced in the last 10 to 15 years. Heating system age is a direct factor in the thermal comfort criterion.
• ·Properties where damp has been treated cosmetically rather than at source. Rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation that causes mould in living spaces will trigger both the standalone damp criterion and potentially a Category 1 hazard assessment.
• ·Older kitchen and bathroom installations without hot and cold water in all required locations.

What should Huntingdonshire landlords do now?

Start with a condition audit. The five DHS criteria map closely to good letting practice already required under the standard landlord compliance framework, so landlords keeping up with HHSRS, gas safety, EICR and EPC obligations will be part of the way there.

Practical steps as of June 2026:

1. 1.Inspect for damp and mould in every room, including loft spaces and behind fitted units. Any visible mould in a habitable room should be investigated and treated at source, not covered over.
2. 2.Check your boiler or heating system age and annual service record. If it has not been serviced within the last 12 months, arrange a Gas Safe inspection now.
3. 3.Review the EPC rating. Properties rated E, F or G are very likely to fail the thermal comfort criterion and should already be on an upgrade plan.
4. 4.Keep a written record of every repair instruction, inspection and maintenance visit. Documented action is the primary defence if a local authority investigation is opened.

Our Tenancy MOT service includes a property condition check against current compliance requirements, flagging anything that puts you at risk of immediate enforcement action before the 2035 deadline arrives. Our letting agents in Brampton cover the full Huntingdonshire patch and can advise on the most cost-effective sequence for bringing a portfolio up to standard.