A report for the office of the Deputy Prime Minister has slated the draft Housing Bill proposal to update the way private sector housing standards are enforced.
The report described the plan, which will replace the current housing fitness standard with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, as potentially unworkable.

For most areas of the country, particularly in areas of low demand, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System will be councils' key weapon in trying to get private sector accommodation up to a reasonable standard.

The report, carried out by DTZ Pieda Consulting from August 2001 to May 2003, looked at 13 councils that have tested the new system.

The report said: "Local authorities had concerns that inconsistency in scoring may undermine their case in an enforcement situation. They lacked confidence in their hazard scores"

Mark Pledger, environmental health manager at Dover – one of the case studies – said: "There is enormous opportunity for people to fight this on a technicality."

Housing minister Lord Rooker met lobby groups on 22 May to discuss all aspects of the draft bill. Although much of the bill has been welcomed, landlord groups are worried it will give too much regulatory power to local authorities.

Tenants groups and homelessness charity Shelter have expressed concern that the bill does not do enough to raise housing standards, particularly in high-demand areas.

  The private rented sector accounts for a quarter of all unfit homes in England, but represents just a tenth of the housing stock.

An ODPM spokeswoman said: "Where there are justifiable concerns, we will address them and use them to inform the development of version two of the system. We are satisfied this will be a workable system for local authorities."

Consultation on the Housing Bill is due to close next Monday.

Source

Housing Today