One in four private rentals in England fail to meet decent home standards

Data suggests private tenants almost three times as likely to be exposed to damp as social housing tenants

Almost a quarter of private rentals in England fail to meet the decent home standards, government figures have revealed, meaning they pose a risk to health, are in disrepair, have poor facilities, or are poorly insulated.

Data from the English Housing Survey, released on Thursday, highlights the poor state of the country's private rental sector, with 23% of private rentals failing to meet the decent homes standard in 2021-22. That compares with just 13% of owner-occupied homes, and 10% of social housing.