This proposal implements the Government’s manifesto commitment to pass the Healthy Homes Guarantee Bill (No 2), requiring all rentals to be warm and dry.
The Bill would improve the current regime for improving the quality of rental properties by enabling the setting of nationally consistent standards of heating, insulation, ventilation, draught stopping and drainage in rental properties.
Housing Minister Phil Twyford advised the public recently in early June 2018 that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment will soon call for feedback on the Government’s proposals. He expects to have the standards and timeframes for landlords’ compliance decided “later in 2018”.
Furthermore, he says the form of heating to be required would not necessarily be heat pumps, as landlords reportedly fear. The Government should not be letting this sort of detail delay the standards that are supposed to come into force on July 1 2019.
As winter commences, our focus should be on ensuring that landlords are providing warm, healthy and dry homes, free from mould and other more dangerous contaminants. With the 1st July 2019 deadline for insulation approaching (as mentioned above) and the anticipation of the Healthy Homes Guarantee standards being set in the very near future, our job is to provide education to landlords to help get them ready for impending changes.
