Almost a quarter of privately rented homes in the UK fail to meet basic living standards, shocking new analysis has revealed.
According to data from independent House of Commons library researchers, more than a million rented homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard – which is 21 per cent of the private market.
It comes as the UK recorded a new hottest day of the year as temperatures soared in a 33C heatwave on Saturday.
With a growing number of people forced to rent, almost one in five homes (19 per cent) in the UK are from the private rental market.
Despite new restrictions and tougher rules on landlords being introduced by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, the research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that private renters are facing increasingly poor conditions with their accommodation.
The Lib Dems are calling for a new insulation installation program to help homes deal with extreme changes in temperature, like heatwaves, better.
The latest data reveals the shocking extent of living standards for renters across the country. Nearly half a million (496,000) privately rented homes are rated with category 1 hazards, according to the housing health and safety rating system.
This is the most serious category and poses a serious and immediate risk to people’s health and safety, the system suggests. In total, this is more than 10 per cent of all privately rented accommodation in the country.
The data also highlights the reasons why privately rented homes fail the basic standard. A shocking 389,000 privately rented homes did not have a reasonable degree of thermal comfort, meaning homes are not maintained at liveable temperatures.
A further 298,000 homes were deemed not in a reasonable state of repair – this could mean anything from not being structurally sound, to damp, rot and pest infestations.
Another 88,000 privately rented homes failed the standard because they did not have suitable modern services and facilities, such as a working toilet.
The Lib Dems are calling for a fairer deal for renters. This includes the immediate ban of no-fault evictions and a 10-year emergency home insulation programme with free insulation for people on low incomes, to protect the most vulnerable households.
Energy spokesperson Pippa Heylings said: “Everyone deserves to have a safe roof over their heads – but as these figures show this is far from the reality.
“The condition of rented homes is shameful. After years of Conservative failure to commit to upgrading homes and implementing new decent standards, renters now pay through the nose for homes that don’t meet the basic standards of safety and health. This cannot continue.
“The government must commit to an emergency home insulation programme and urgently implement new decent home standards.”
The Independent has contacted the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) for comment.
However, Ms Rayner is currently pushing through a new Renters’ Rights Bill, which will end no-fault evictions with little notice and introduce a new Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman.
It also aims to enforce the Decent Homes Standard – which is currently the benchmark for social housing – in the private rented sector, give renters safer, better value homes, remove the blight of poor-quality homes in local communities, and strengthen local authority enforcement.
An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Everyone deserves to live in a safe, secure home and despite the situation we have inherited, we are taking decisive action to make this a reality.
“That’s why we will be consulting on a reformed Decent Homes Standard to boost housing quality in social and private rented homes.”
