Decent Homes Standard (DHS)

The Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is a technical standard for social housing introduced by the Government.

For a home to be classed as 'decent' it must meet four criteria:

A – it meets the current statutory minimum standards for housing
B – it is in a reasonable state of repair
C – it has reasonable modern facilities and services
D – it provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

At Berneslai Homes, we define the Decent Homes Standard as: 'A Decent Home is one which is wind and weather tight, warm, and has modern facilities.'

Read the Government's 'A Decent Home - definition and guidance for implementation'

Decency in more detail

A – it meets the current statutory minimum standards for housing

Dwellings that fail are those containing one or more hazards assessed as serious (‘Category 1’) under HHSRS – Housing Health and Safety Rating System. See the table below for more information.

B – it is in a reasonable state of repair

Dwellings that fail are those where either:

one or more of the key building components are old and, because of their condition need replacing or major repair or
two or more of the other building components are old and because of their condition need replacing or major repair

C – it has reasonable modern facilities and services

Dwellings that fail are those lacking three or more of the following:

a reasonably modern kitchen (20 years old or less)
a kitchen with adequate space and layout
a reasonably modern bathroom (30 years old or less)
an appropriately located bathroom and WC
adequate insulation against external noise (where there is an external noise problem)
adequate size and layout of common areas for blocks of flats

D – it provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

This requires dwellings to have both effective insulation and efficient heating.

Home improvement (stock condition) survey programme

We have an ongoing annual stock condition programme, carrying out stock condition surveys of the council housing stock to assess the condition and future maintenance needs.

The stock condition programme assesses and collects information on the age and condition of components and identify any HHSRS (Housing Health and Safety Rating System) hazards in your home. We record this information our asset management database (PIMSS). Any Category 1 hazards identified by Stock Condition Surveying are escalated for immediate remediation.

Hazards in the home

Number	Hazard	Health effects
1	Damp and mould growth Health threats due to dust mites, mould or fungal including mental and social wellbeing health threats associated with damp, humid and mouldy conditions	Allergies, asthma, effects of toxins from mould and fungal infections
2	Excess cold Threats to health from cold indoor temperatures. A healthy indoor temperature is 18 degrees celsius to 21 degrees celsius.	Respiratory conditions: flu, pneumonia and bronchitis Cardiovascular conditions: heart attacks and strokes
3	Excess heat Threats due to high indoor temperatures	Dehydration, trauma, stroke, cardiovascular and respiratory
4	Asbestos and MMF Exposure to asbestos fibres and Manufactured Mineral Fibres (MMF)	Asbestos: Damage to lungs MMF: Damage to skin, eyes and lungs
5	Biocides Threats to health from chemicals used to treat timber and mould growth	Risk from breathing in, skin contact and swallowing of the chemical
6	Carbon Monoxide and fuel combustion products Excess levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and smoke	Dizziness, nausea, headaches, disorientation, unconsciousness and breathing problems
7	Lead Threats to health from lead ingestion from paint, water pipes, soil and fumes from leaded petrol	Lead poisoning causing nervous disorders, mental health and blood production issues
8	Radiation Health threats from radon gas and its daughters, primarily airborne but also radon dissolved in water	Lung cancer caused by exposure, which increases amount and length of exposure
9	Uncombusted fuel gas Threat from fuel gas escaping into the atmosphere within a property	Suffocation
10	Volatile organic compounds Threat to health from a diverse group of organic chemicals including formaldehyde that are gaseous at room temperature and can be found in a wide variety of materials in the home	Allergies, irritation to the eyes, nose and skin, headaches, nausea, dizziness and drowsiness
11	Crowding and space Hazards associated with lack of space for living, sleeping and normal household or family life	Psychological distress and mental disorders, increased risk of hygiene issues, accidents and personal space and privacy compromised
12	Entry by intruders Problems keeping a property secure against unauthorised entry and maintaining defensible space	Fear of burglary occurring, stress and anguish caused by burglary and injuries caused by the intruder
13	Lighting Threats to physical and mental health associated with inadequate natural or artificial light, including the psychological effects associated with the view from the property through glazing	Depression and psychological effects due to lack of natural light. Eye strain from glare and inadequate light
14	Noise Threats to physical and mental health due to exposure to noise within the property or within its curtilage	Psychological and physiological changes resulting from lack of sleep, poor concentration, headaches and anxiety
15	Domestic hygiene, pests, and refuse Health hazards due to poor design, layout and construction making it hard to keep clean and hygienic, attracting pests and inadequate and unhygienic provision for storing household waste	Stomach and intestinal disease, infection, asthma, allergies, disease from rats and physical hazards
16	Food safety Threats of infection from poor provision and facilities to store, prepare and cook food	Stomach and intestinal disease, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach upset and dehydration
17	Personal hygiene, sanitation, and drainage Threats of infections and threat to mental health associated with personal hygiene, including personal and clothes washing facilities, sanitation and drainage	Stomach and intestinal disease, skin infections and depression
18	Water supply Threats to health from contamination by bacteria, parasites, viruses and chemical pollutants due to the quality of water supply for drinking household use such as cooking, washing and sanitation	Dehydration, fatigue, headaches, dry skin, bladder infections and legionnaires disease
19	Falls associated with baths Falls associated with a bath, shower, or similar facility	Physical injuries: cuts, lacerations, swellings and bruising.
20	Falls on the level surfaces Falls on any level surface such as floor, yards, and paths, including falls associated with trip steps, thresholds or ramps where the change in level is less than 300mm	Physical injuries: bruising, fractures, head, brain and spinal injuries
21	Falls associated with stairs and steps Falls associated with stairs and ramps where the change in level is greater than 300mm. It includes internal stairs or ramps within a property, external steps or ramps associated with the property, access to the property and to shared facilities or means of escape from fire and falls over stairs, ramp or step guarding	Physical injuries: bruising, fractures, head, brain and spinal injuries
22	Falls between levels Falls from one level to another, inside or outside a dwelling where the difference is more than 300mm. Including falls from balconies, landings or out of windows	Physical injuries
23	Electrical hazards Hazards from electric shock and electricity burns	Electric shock and burns
24	Fire Threats to health from exposure to uncontrolled fire and associated smoke. It includes injuries from clothing catching fire, a common injuring when trying to put a fire out.	Burns, being overcome by smoke or death
25	Flames, hot surfaces, and materials Burns or injuries caused by contact with a hot flame or fire, hot objects and non-water based liquids. Scalds caused by contact with hot liquids and vapours.	Burns, scalds, permanent scarring and death.
26	Collision and entrapment Risks of physical injuries from trapping body parts in architectural features such as trapping fingers in doors and windows and colliding with objects such as windows, doors and low ceilings	Physical injuries such as cuts and bruising to the body
27	Explosions Threats from the blast of an explosion, from debris generated by the blast and from partial or total collapse of a building as a result of the explosion	Physical injuries, crushing, bruising, puncture, fractures, head, brain and spinal injuries.
28	Ergonomics Threats of physical strain associated with functional space and other features at the dwelling	Strain and sprain injuries
29	Structural collapse and falling elements The threat of the dwelling collapsing or part of the fabric being displaced or falling due to inadequate fixing or disrepair or as a result of adverse weather conditions.	Physical injuries

Decent Homes Standard (DHS)