Fuel poverty remains a pressing issue, affecting millions of households and placing significant strain on both health and social care systems.

Keeping properties well-maintained is crucial for creating safe, thriving communities, particularly in areas with a high proportion of rental homes.

A rogue landlord in Wembley was recently fined nearly £50,000 for renting an overcrowded property with eight tenants living in unsafe conditions, highlighting the urgent need for property inspections under licensing schemes. Dubbed a 'house of horrors,' the property posed severe health and safety risks.

Local government budgets are stretched, especially when balancing essential services with discretionary licensing schemes. Home Safe’s partnership provides councils with fixed-cost solutions, allowing stable budgeting and confident planning for inspections and compliance, ensuring resources are used effectively to meet legal obligations.

Selective Licensing Schemes have, in recent years, gained traction as a means to drive positive change in the private rented sector (PRS). The Renters’ Rights Bill does not change this trend as provision for folding discretionary licensing schemes into the wider PRS reforms is made in the Bill.

The Renters’ Rights Bill will return to Parliament for debate this week. The introduction of the Decent Homes Standard and the expansion under the proposed legislation of Awaab’s Law to tackle damp and mould, along with the requirement to report property inspection data, will give tenants greater confidence that they are living in safe and warm homes.

Last year we reported on a grim case in Leeds where the tenant (who was also an employee of the landlord) of a basement flat, with no planning permission, died of his injuries 10 days after a fire broke out in his home. Among the other serious deficiencies at the property that increased the probability of death if a fire started, there were no smoke detectors or fire alarms.

The Secretary of State for Energy, Ed Miliband MP, outlined the government's vision for energy performance certificates (EPCs) at the recent Labour Party conference. Saying millions would be lifted out of fuel poverty, he added that the poorest people in the country often lived in cold and draughty homes and that the government would seek to go “further and faster” in ending this situation thus “ensuring every rented home reaches decent standards of energy efficiency.”

In the next instalment of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Wayne Frost, whose extensive experience in housing health and safety has been key to the success of delivering comprehensive inspection programmes for our Local Authority partners. In this interview, Wayne shares his journey to becoming Inspections Programme Manager, discusses the vital role his team plays in supporting Local Authorities, and highlights how their combined efforts are improving housing standards for tenants.

The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in December 2020 from an acute respiratory condition, caused by exposure to black mould in his Rochdale home, highlighted the urgent need for better housing conditions. In response, government guidance on damp and mould for both social and private sector landlords, as well as Local Authorities, has been updated to address these preventable hazards.