Decent Homes Standard
In 2000, the Government brought in rules about the quality of homes tenants rent from councils or housing associations. The standard is:
A decent home will be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities.
These are the main things taken into account when deciding if a home meets the Decent Homes Standard. A decent home must:
- Be in reasonable repair
- Meet current legal housing standards
- Have reasonably modern facilities and services
This means at least 4 of the following:
- A kitchen that is no more than 20 years old
- A kitchen with adequate space and layout
- A bathroom that is no more than 30 years old
- A suitably located bathroom and toilet
- Adequate noise insulation
- Adequate space and layout in common areas of flats
- Be efficiently heated and effectively insulated
Gloucester Housing Standard
Working with our tenants we have developed a Gloucester Housing Standard. This provides better facilities than the basic Decent Homes Standard.
The standard includes:
- High-quality PVC double-glazed windows with secure locking handles
- No all-metal window
- Modern fitted kitchen units, also vinyl flooring, tiling and extractor fan
- A full heating system
- A modern fitted bathroom suite with extractor fan, vinyl flooring, tiling and redecoration
- High-quality, secure front and back doors with a choice of fittings
- Loft insulation, cavity-wall insulation and external insulation with rendering as appropriate
- Modern wiring including smoke detectors, plus electricity meters in an outdoor cabinet where possible
- Gardens that have been cleared and left tidy where required
- Good access, where possible, to external doors and staircase/doorway handrails where needed
- Footpaths and boundary fencing to front and rear gardens, with gates as required
- Off-street parking with paved access and a refuse/green bin storage area where possible
- A modern watertight roof