Decent Homes Standard to apply to all private and social landlords by 2035
2 months ago | 14 comments
Energy efficiency improves across England’s homes but damp and mould persist
12:01 AM, 3rd February 2026, 2 months ago
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The energy efficiency of housing stock in England has improved, according to the latest English Housing Survey.
Despite an improvement in energy efficiency, the survey claims damp and mould are most prevalent in the private rented sector.
Propertymark says the government must provide practical support for landlords, as all private rented properties will need to meet EPC C targets by 2030.
Damp and mould most prevalent in the private rented sector
According to the English Housing Survey, in the last decade, the proportion of homes in the highest energy efficiency bands A to C increased from 26% in 2014 to over half of all dwellings (56%) in 2024, while the proportion within the lowest bands of E to G decreased (23% to 9%).
Over the same period, the proportion of homes rated band D declined steadily, with a particularly sharp drop in the last two years, from 43% in 2022 to 35% in 2024, mirroring a significant increase in band C homes, which rose from 45% to 52%.
However, the survey also reveals that 1.4 million dwellings (5%) had a problem with damp in 2024. Damp was more prevalent in the private rented sector (10%) than in the owner-occupied (4%) and social rented (7%) sectors.
In 2024, there were 4 million dwellings (15%) that failed to meet the current Decent Homes Standard, a level similar to 2022. There were also 2.3 million dwellings (9%) with a HHSRS Category 1 hazard in 2024, again comparable to 2022.
Private rented and owner-occupied dwellings were equally likely to contain hazards (9–10%), however, two years earlier, owner-occupied dwellings were less likely than private rented dwellings to contain hazards (9% compared with 12%).
Must be paired with practical support for landlords
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, says it supports improvements in housing quality, but the government must give support to landlords.
He said: “The latest English Housing Survey findings highlight both encouraging progress and persistent challenges in the quality and energy performance of England’s housing stock. It is positive to see long-term improvements in energy efficiency, with over half of homes now rated in the higher A-C energy bands and increasing uptake of insulation and double glazing. These trends will help cut bills and reduce carbon emissions, which are outcomes the property sector has long supported.
“However, the findings also reinforce areas of concern that must not be overlooked. Millions of homes continue to fall short of decent living conditions, with dampness, hazards, and overcrowding affecting significant numbers of households across tenures.
“Propertymark continues to support measures that drive improvements in housing quality and energy performance, but this must be paired with practical support for landlords and homeowners to make necessary upgrades.
“Clear guidance, targeted financial support, and sensible implementation timelines will be essential if we are to bring all homes up to modern standards without placing undue strain on households and the housing market.”
The English Housing Survey also reveals that in 2024, the estimated average cost of improving a private rented property to an EPC C rating was £7,040.
According to Octane Capital, refurbishing private rented properties to meet EPC C targets could cost nearly £20 billion overall, as more than two million private rented sector (PRS) homes will require improvements to achieve EPC C standards.
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Member Since January 2025 - Comments: 57
4:34 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
As someone who has conducted in the region of 1,000 checkouts of various types of property over the last 17 years, I can conclude that if I rented out the property I live in, there would be damp and mould even though I’ve never experienced any damp and mould
I could literally start a Youtube channel with the videos and stories I have and what I uncover, literally nothing could shock me
Where I live we even had a case of a guy who murdered his girlfriend and sister, cut them up and left them in the wardrobe
Yet the authorities keep clamping down on landlords and yet there is not even a whisper of a tenant database, a good tenants register etc
Member Since July 2024 - Comments: 6
10:11 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
I carried out an inspection as a favour for a landlord who lives miles away and couldn’t meet his tenant on this occasion. The property’s EPC is C. The tenant was reporting constant mould in the studio flat and historically there hadn’t been mould in the property before. I attended and straight away the tenant blamed the bathroom extractor fan not working correctly. I tested the fan with tissue, and it was holding on so there was suction, advised the tenant that the extractor is to assist and will not eliminate the issue, but as I walked into the studio, clutter everywhere, windows open and dripping with condensation and in the corner of the room, a heated airer with cover. The tenant was persistent that there was something wrong with the property as the dehumidifiers weren’t helping. The dehumidifiers they bought were tiny and looked like something you would get from Amazon at £30.
Advised the tenant and the landlord that it is a process of elimination to determine the issue, remove the heated airer, purchase a larger dehumidifier and monitor. Instead, the tenant was worried that the dehumidifier would cost more money to run, ignoring that they probably had a heated airer that might consume more electricity.
A year on, we’ve gone to do a valuation on the same property, same tenants, heated airer still there, issues still there and the dehumidifier the landlord provided…nowhere to be seen.
Yet the tenant goes to the council, the council will clamp down on the landlord when the issue is to do with the tenant.
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1435 - Articles: 1
11:09 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
Sealed, anti-ventilated, homes will always have condensation probelms.
If tenants aren’t educated in cleaning and opening windows, not drying clothes on radiators, putting lids on saucepans when cooking, wiping down bathroom walls after hot showers and baths etc this will result in condensation leading to mould. Oh and of course a landlords fault!
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3508 - Articles: 5
11:13 AM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
you can insulate a property as much as you like…but along with that comes the TENENT obligation to ventilate, adequately heat and understand what the property requires of the occupants to balance and ensure its fabric and functionality is maintained.
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 365
2:00 PM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
There we have it, more mould in tenanted than owner occupied properties.Why because owner occupiers mainly take care of their properties, whereas tenants are not so careful.
Member Since October 2013 - Comments: 1630 - Articles: 3
2:22 PM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Reluctant Landlord at 03/02/2026 – 11:13
RRA now removed all responsibility from tenants. I cannot see how this will work if a tenant continues to make lifestyle choices and causes damp and mould, yet the landlord is held responsible for remediation of said damp and mould. Only for the tenant to continue doing the same things.
Member Since September 2018 - Comments: 3508 - Articles: 5
5:37 PM, 3rd February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 03/02/2026 – 14:22
The RRA pushes the narrative that the LL is always at fault because it suits what tenant voters want to hear.
The fact that they are deaf to requests to heat, ventilate and occupy the property in ways that is conducive to their own health, says it all.
LL’s just need to make sure that their butt is covered when it comes to ‘educating’ them. Get everything down on paper, evidence, evidence and evidence. That means at LL checks taking meter reads to show (lack of) sufficient heating and noting windows being closed etc at visits. Photos of drying clothes in rooms, condensation patches and a tight inventory will only show it can be down to occupier (barring any definitive external building failures)
FOI (any) Council reports/findings of their checks on their own housing stock or analysis of PRS/SL findings. Look at the Ombudsman negligence findings and council responses. You often see reference to ‘tenants being advised/given guidance’ and then in the next sentence ‘it is difficult to ensure actions are then taken on board’.
No law can make a tenant take action/do anything no matter who the landlord is.
The RRA just means its time for LL’s to really focus on evidencing every single thing they do.
The most interesting things are going to be when the May – Spring 2027 stats show the exact reasons for all possessions during this period…