One in eight PRS homes are health hazards, says PAC

One in eight privately rented homes in England pose a threat to the health of their tenants. According to a report from the parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, the health issues cost the NHS about £340m a year. It found that an estimated 13% of privately rented homes in England – around 589,000 properties – had at least one “category one” hazard, which is classed as a serious threat to health and safety that landlords are legally obliged to address. The picture varies regionally, from 9% in London to 21% in Yorkshire and the Humber. The report also uncovered evidence of unlawful discrimination, with an estimated one in four landlords unwilling to let to non-British-passport holders. The committee said it was “too difficult for renters to realise their legal right to a safe and secure home”, and that local authorities – constrained by a lack of support from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – did not have the capability to provide them with proper protection. An estimated 11m people rent privately in England, and the sector has doubled in size during the past two decades. Only 10 landlords and letting agents have been banned by local authorities since 2016, while some councils inspect as few as 0.1% of their privately rented properties. The Guardian