No. 30/04

Press Release: Monday 19 July 2004

ASSOCIATIONS ON TRACK TO MEET DECENT HOMES TARGET

All associations replying to the Housing Corporation's latest progress survey expect 100% of their properties to meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard by the Government-set deadline of 2010.

The figures, revealed today in the Housing Corporation's sector study "Housing Association Progress Towards the Decent Homes Standard", also show a 33% decrease in the number of homes which would currently fail the standard, relative to the last survey conducted in 2002.

However, the study still indicates that around 21% of stock owned by associations would fail the standard if tested today. Of these, 79.8% were accounted for under the 'Disrepair' and 'Thermal Comfort' criterion, with the remainder failing under 'Modern Facilities' or 'Fitness for Habitation'. There is a cost for success, the study notes, with the average spend per unit in meeting the Standard being £1,980; a figure derived from a range as diverse as £67 to £20,777 per unit.

Elsewhere the study reiterates concerns regarding the ambiguity and subjective nature of some of the measures required to assess the DHS, suggesting that as such it is an indicative standard rather than precise. There is continued criticism of the thermal comfort criteria, citing a HA preference to use SAP, the Government approved Standard Assessment Procedure for energy rating of dwellings.

Housing Corporation chief executive Jon Rouse said: "I am extremely pleased that this research shows a step-by-step improvement in the sector's efforts to meet the Decent Homes Standard by 2010. It is encouraging that all associations who responded to our survey are confident that they will meet or exceed the target, and in many cases have already done so.

"That said, there is clearly much work to be done. The Housing Corporation will continue to support individual associations, both financially and otherwise, and considers the project to be making good progress."

The study concludes with recommendations that further guidance be made available on certian aspects of the DHS; that this should be made easily accessible to smaller HAs; that the thermal comfort criterion should be reviewed; and that HAs need to improve their data management systems in order to better identify which properties would currently fail the DHS.

ends

For more information contact Gillian Watson on 020 7393 2095; email: gillian.watson@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk, or Robert Davies on 020 7393 2227; email: robert.davies@housingcorp.gsx.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. The Housing Corporation is the Government agency responsible for regulating and investing in over 2,000 housing associations in England. It is changing the face of affordable homes, creating strong communities that are exciting places to live and work. Its biggest ever investment programe of £3.3 billion for 2004-06 will fund over 67,000 affordable homes. 16,000 of these will go to key workers and 25% will use some form of modern methods of construction.

2. The Decent Homes Standard was introduced in July 2001 with the intention of improving the standard of social housing in England, and to provide commonsense tests to ensure that such accommodation is fit for the 21st century. The Government expects all social rented homes to meet the standard by 2010.

3. Housing Association Progress Towards the Decent Homes Standard invited a sample of HAs to participate, in three distinct groups:
-- The 17 large HAs that provided the data for the 2002 survey;
-- A further sample of 55 medium and large HAs, defined as those with more than 1,000 units;
-- 500 smaller HAs defined as having fewer