Government pushes action on overheating fears in social housing

The government has urged all social housing landlords to meet standards of thermal comfort in their properties.

In a written parliamentary question, Green MP Carla Denyer asked: “What assessment has the government made of the risk of overheating in social housing?”

The news comes after a group of tenants has threatened legal action against their housing association over excessive heat in their homes.

Social housing landlords need to follow Awaab’s law

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook confirmed all social housing landlords need to follow the rules under Awaab’s law.

He said: “All social homes should meet at least a minimum standard of thermal comfort.

“My Department made an assessment of subjective overheating through the English Housing Survey, which found that in 2024, 10.6% of social housing households reported at least one part of their home got uncomfortably hot.

“Awaab’s Law came into force in the social rented sector on 27 October 2025. As a result, all social landlords must repair all emergency hazards within 24 hours and fix dangerous damp and mould within fixed timescales.

“The next phase of Awaab’s Law will consider the application of requirements to a further set of Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards, including excess heat and excess cold.

“My Department has also laid new statutory guidance on the operation and enforcement of the Health and Housing Safety Rating System (HHSRS) before Parliament. This will come into force in June and will provide councils with a more intuitive means of assessing hazards in rented homes, including excess heat.”

Not fit for purpose

The news comes as, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind, residents living in flats managed by PA Housing in Woolwich, London, claim their homes are not fit for purpose, with indoor temperatures reaching 43°C during the summer.

A report by the BBC, reveals residents are planning to take action against their housing association, marking the first claim filed for excessive heat under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

A resident living in Canada Court and Clifton Lodge in Woolwich told the BBC the building was not fit for purpose.

Chris Sayudo, chair of the tenant association at Clifton Lodge and Canada Court, said the buildings’ corridors reached 48 degrees in the summer.

He told the BBC: “It’s a combination of problems; the build-up of heat in the building, because there’s no real ventilation, and the fact there are leaks in the cupboards and communal areas means there is a massive amount of mould.

“Not just in communal areas, but in our flats as well, because we don’t have ventilation. There’s a built-in new air ventilation system but it doesn’t do anything. It’s not effective.”

Michael McDonagh, chief executive of PA Housing, said the issue was mainly concentrated to communal intake cupboards rather than residents’ homes.

He told the BBC: “This is an issue that, we agree, needs to be addressed across the housing sector. Like most properties in the UK, Canada Court and Clifton Lodge were designed to keep heat in rather than keep them cool.

“However, when they were built, they met all relevant planning and building regulations at the time.

“All the same, we will be putting measures in place to monitor internal temperatures at both buildings as a way of understanding whether this is just an issue during excessive heat or throughout the year so we can support residents as much as we can.”