Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee needed now
Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says the fact that more than 90% of rental properties in a pilot project have
failed a Warrant of Fitness check indicates the Government needs to urgently tackle housing standards in the private
rental market.
“A year ago the Government announced a pilot WoF scheme with its own state houses, completely missing the point that the
problem of unhealthy homes is most acute in the private rental sector where several hundred thousand children are
growing up in cold, damp homes.
“A disturbing result from this new survey is that 37% of houses did not pass the check for having a fixed form of
heating.
“If the Government was serious about tackling this problem they would back Labour’s Healthy Homes Guarantee. It will
require all rental properties to meet minimum standards for insulation and to have an efficient and effective heating
source. My Healthy Homes Member’s Bill, waiting for its first reading in Parliament, is the quickest, easiest way to
make this change.
“Labour applauds the latest initiative on the rental WoF. This report indicates the landlords engaged positively with
the WoF, and that the approach is workable.”
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