Property standards and compliance
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 brings two major property-standards reforms to the private rented sector in England, the Decent Homes Standard and Awaab's Law. Both already apply to social housing, and the Act contains the powers to extend them to private lets. As at June 2026 neither is yet in force in the private rented sector, and the government has not confirmed the date. Landlords are nonetheless expected to prepare now, because both will impose clear, enforceable duties on the condition of a let property. This page explains what each standard requires and how to get ready.
The Decent Homes Standard is being extended to the private rented sector
The Decent Homes Standard sets a single quality benchmark that a let property must meet. It was first applied to social housing, and under the Renters' Rights Act it is being extended to the private rented sector for the first time. It is not yet in force for private lets, but the requirement is coming, and the work needed to meet it, on insulation, heating, repairs and modern facilities, takes time to plan and budget. Preparing early is cheaper than reacting to enforcement. This new standard sits alongside the existing duty to keep a property fit for human habitation.
A decent home must meet four criteria
To be decent, a property must satisfy four criteria. It must be free from the most serious hazards, meaning no category 1 hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, which covers fire and electrical safety, structural stability and severe damp. It must be in a reasonable state of repair, with the major components such as the roof, walls, windows and heating in good order. It must have reasonably modern facilities, which relates mainly to the age and adequacy of the kitchen and bathroom. And it must provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, with effective heating and adequate insulation. A property that fails any one of these fails the standard.
Thermal comfort sits alongside the energy-efficiency rules
The thermal-comfort criterion overlaps with the energy-efficiency rules a landlord already has to meet. An effective heating system and adequate loft and cavity insulation support both a decent Energy Performance Certificate rating and the Decent Homes warmth requirement. Reviewing the EPC for low-cost improvements, such as topping up loft insulation or fitting thermostatic radiator valves, is a sensible first step that serves both purposes.
Preparing for the standard is a property walk-through
Compliance is not a single task but a continuing maintenance discipline. The practical starting point is a walk-through of each property against the four criteria, prioritising any category 1 hazard for immediate attention. From there, a proactive replacement budget for major components, a focus on ventilation and the underlying causes of damp, and a tidy record of every certificate, invoice and tenant report give a landlord both a compliant property and the evidence to prove it. For a full walk-through of what the standard means for a typical rental, see our guide to the Decent Homes Standard for private landlords.
The certificates and inspection records that evidence the standard belong in one place, not scattered across email. August's compliance tools keep them together and flag what is due.
Awaab's Law applies to social housing now and is coming to the private sector
Awaab's Law sets fixed deadlines for investigating and fixing serious health hazards such as damp and mould. It is named after Awaab Ishak, a two-year-old who died from prolonged exposure to mould, and it makes a swift, effective response a legal duty rather than a matter of goodwill. It applies to social housing now, and the Renters' Rights Act contains the powers to extend the same kind of duty to private landlords in a later phase. The private-sector timing has not been confirmed, so the right posture is to build the response capability before the duty bites.
The Awaab's Law timescales are the model to prepare for
The social-housing version of Awaab's Law works on fixed deadlines triggered the moment a landlord becomes aware of a hazard. For emergencies that pose an imminent risk, the duty is to investigate and make safe within twenty-four hours. For significant hazards such as serious damp and mould, the duty is to investigate within a short, fixed period, to give the tenant a written summary of the findings within a few working days, and to complete the necessary safety work to a set timetable, with longer preventative work following. These are the social-housing timescales; the private-sector version is expected to follow the same model. A landlord who builds a clear reporting channel, logs the exact date and time of every report, and engages contractors who understand the deadlines will be ready whatever the final figures. Our guide to preventing damp and mould sets out the practical steps that meet this model.
A dated record of a repair report and the response to it is the evidence that protects a landlord if a hazard claim is ever made. August's maintenance reporting timestamps every report and the action taken.
Documentation is the landlord's defence
For both standards, the record is what matters under challenge. Keeping an audit trail of inspections, certificates, tenant reports and the response to each, with dates, is what allows a landlord to demonstrate compliance and avoid the maximum penalties. The standards are about the condition of the property, but the defence is about the quality of the evidence.
The right to request a pet, and the cover a landlord can ask for, is covered in Part 3. Registration on the PRS Database and membership of the Ombudsman scheme are explained in Part 4. This page is part of August's full guide to the Renters' Rights Act.
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