st_ouennais

My attention has been drawn to an item in the JEP stating that 1/6th of the States housing fails to meet UK decent homes standards.  I wonder how many readers of the paper know what the UK decent homes standards are?  Should you be interested you can download it  http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/decenthome

The standards are not exactly onerous and I doubt many people would regard properties that just meet the criteria as decent let alone comfortable or efficient.  In essence the standard requires the building  to be weather tight and not having completely antiquated facilities. For example, the minimum loft insulation requirement is just 50mm.  Thats better than nothing , but far from the recommended 250mm or more than new builds would expect.  Failing to meet the standards is tantamount to saying the property in uninhabitable.

It seems to me that quite a significant proportion of the people in such properties will be those on various benefits and support from the States.  As such selected improvements beyond the standards would have a triple benefit to the States and taxpayers.  First, if the properties are not weather tight, or suffer damp, then there is every prospect of increased ill health for the occupiers.  Thats potentially lost tax revenue if they are income tax payers, and increased health care costs regardless. Second, If buildings are not thermally efficient than the occupiers spend an increased proportion of their income on fuel.  As fuel prices escalate they  will have to spend more money keeping themselves warm - implying increased benefits will need to be paid.  If the occupiers can't heat the property then it delapidates faster than normally and the health problems above are compounded.  Third we have a policy and a moral obligation to reduce our carbon emissions and improving the thermal efficiency of buildings is one of the most cost effective ways to do this. 

I grant you that renovating States properties doesn't have the kudos or pre-election impact of grand schemes to build bridges to France or put underpasses in the waterfront.  On the other hand there are voters in those 712 substandard homes that could make all the difference come the elections.

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