Parliamentary committee report highlights ongoing challenges with social housing conditions

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has published its report on housing conditions in the social rented sector, outlining concerns about the quality, safety and energy efficiency of homes and calling for clearer standards, stronger enforcement and long-term investment. 

The report follows the committee’s inquiry into the condition of social housing in England and draws on evidence from residents, landlords, regulators and sector bodies, including written evidence submitted by CIH. 

Key findings 

The committee concludes that, while many social homes are safe and well managed, unacceptably poor conditions persist for too many residents. It highlights ongoing problems including: 

• Damp and mould, often linked to wider issues such as poor ventilation, inadequate insulation and fuel poverty 
• An ageing housing stock, with many homes requiring significant investment to meet modern standards 
• Inconsistent performance between landlords, with some residents experiencing long delays in repairs and remediation. 

The committee notes that these issues have serious consequences for tenants’ physical and mental health and undermine confidence in the social housing system. 

Standards, regulation and energy efficiency 

A central theme of the report is the need for clear, coherent and enforceable standards. The committee examines the role of the Decent Homes Standard, the introduction of Awaab’s Law, and proposals to strengthen energy efficiency requirements. 

In its analysis of fuel poverty and the cost of heating homes, the committee references CIH’s written evidence, including CIH’s response to the government’s review of the Fuel Poverty Strategy. CIH’s evidence highlighted the links between poor energy performance, affordability and health outcomes, and the risks of failing to improve homes quickly enough. 

Recommendations 

The committee makes a series of recommendations to government, including calls to: 

• Set out a clear timetable and funding plan for improving the condition and energy efficiency of social housing 
• Ensure new and updated standards are realistic, well-resourced and consistently enforced 
• Improve data on housing conditions to better target intervention 
• Support landlords to build the skills and capacity needed to meet higher regulatory expectations 
• Publish its long-term housing strategy as soon as possible.

The report stresses that improving housing conditions requires long-term, strategic action, rather than short-term or piecemeal measures. It was clear that long-term planning should both safeguard the supply of social homes, including support for regeneration, development and the long-term sustainability of the existing stock.

CIH’s role and latest developments  

Our written evidence to the inquiry set out our view that improving housing conditions must be tackled as part of a national, cross-tenure approach, with sustained investment in existing homes and a strong focus on energy efficiency to reduce fuel poverty. 

We were pleased to see this picked up and reinforced within the committee’s report (page 40, para 71), and in its recommendation for a new Decent Homes programme, integrating funding to enable greater flexibility to increase quality, safety and resilience to future challenges. 

Since the committee concluded its inquiry, the government has published further detail on several reforms that will shape how social housing conditions improve in practice.

These include the updated Decent Homes Standard, which strengthens requirements around safety, repair and resident wellbeing, and the introduction of new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for social housing, aimed at improving energy performance and tackling fuel poverty. 

Together, these changes reinforce the committee’s emphasis on clearer standards and stronger enforcement, while also raising questions about capacity, skills and long-term funding. 

Alongside this, the government has confirmed its approach to rent convergence, resetting the framework for social rents after several years of divergence. While convergence is intended to support financial stability for landlords, the committee’s report highlights the importance of ensuring that rent policy is aligned with the scale of investment needed to improve existing homes and meet higher regulatory expectations. 

CIH is already working with the sector to support professional competence, learning and development, and will continue to play a role in helping organisations prepare for and implement these reforms effectively. We will continue to engage with government, Parliament and the Regulator as the committee’s recommendations are considered and as policy develops, ensuring the professional voice of housing is reflected in decisions that affect both residents and the sector.