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.

A common historic complaint from private sector landlords about the use by Local Authorities of Selective Licensing in regulating the PRS was that the councils took the licensing fees from landlords, good and bad, and then fined any landlords who’d not applied for a licence but did little else to improve matters. Effectively, a licensing scheme was just a way to impose a ‘tax’ on landlords.

As part of our Meet the Team series, we introduce Mike Brook, whose extensive experience at Leeds City Council has uniquely equipped him to understand the challenges Local Authorities face. Here, he shares insights into his background, his role at Home Safe, and how we are supporting Local Authorities in addressing mounting pressures to improve housing standards across the sector.

Gas Safety Week 2024 (9th to 15th September) is upon us with this year’s theme being “Every [gas safety] Check Counts” as Gas Safe Register’s “latest inspection data reveals 1 in 5 UK homes have an unsafe gas appliance.” Gas Safe Register is the only official gas registration body for gas businesses and gas engineers in the UK and operates on behalf of the Health & Safety Executive.

It’s probably fair to say that the majority of the public have never heard of the “Government Digital [by default] Strategy” published in 2012. But then, it was meant for government departments, rather than the public, in order to drive efficiency and financial savings in the provision of public services.

Peterborough City Council’s new Selective Licensing scheme, which covers 10 of the city’s wards and was launched in March, has received over 7,000 applications with over 1,750 draft licences issued and over 500 final licences issued to landlords operating private rented sector properties in the city.

Licensing schemes are an essential tool for elevating rental housing standards. At their core, Selective and Additional licensing schemes are all about ensuring better living conditions for tenants, a goal everyone can stand behind. The real conversation often centres on the most effective ways to achieve these standards. Based on our hands-on experience, the central pillar of any successful licensing scheme lies in rigorous property inspections that ensure tenants have a safe place to live.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that around 67% of residential properties in England and 65% in Wales (March 2023) currently have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a certificate required when a property is built, sold or rented out. They are also required to be submitted by landlords to the Local Authority when the landlord is applying for a licence under a selective licensing scheme.