Decent Homes Standard (DHS) - Tenant Feedback Questionnaire

Overview

Background

The Department for Communities (DFC) implemented the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) in June 2004. This is the minimum standard that all social housing should meet and which is regulated through the Department’s Regulatory Framework for social housing. The Standards have remained unchanged since they were introduced in 2004.

The current standards are now below the standards in place across UK jurisdictions and have not kept pace with Building Standards, and environmental, health and safety issues. They do not align with the current need to meet Net Zero and decarbonisation targets. Health and safety issues are those such as installing smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms and completing electrical safety checks, which are therefore intended to reduce the risk of fire and the consequent loss of life, injury, and damage to property.

Poor quality housing has been linked with an increased risk of ill health and disability, including poorer mental health as well as lower educational attainment, unemployment and poverty.

Consultation Exercise

A targeted online consultation with social landlords ran from 1 July 2024 to 19 August 2024.  It focused on engaging and obtaining views from the Northern Ireland Federation for Housing Associations (NIFHA), Registered Housing Associations (RHA) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). The consultation gathered feedback on:

• The operation of the current DHS
• Some initial options for changes to the DHS
• Net Zero and Decarbonisation Targets

The Department has identified a number of key issues but recognises that stakeholder engagement with tenants is essential to provide a broad spectrum approach. This will help us to understand the feedback from the original consultation exercise, providing tenant context and potentially identifying any gaps or issues at this early stage.

Please take the time to answer all questions with as much detail as possible.