MPs have urged ministers to move faster on private rented sector standards, warning that landlords should not be allowed to wait until 2035 to bring homes up to the new Decent Homes Standard. In a new Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report, MPs called for incentives to speed up upgrades, a quicker rollout of Awaab’s Law in the private rented sector and stronger local enforcement.
The committee said the government should start bringing Awaab’s Law into the sector this year so the protections are fully in place by the end of 2028-29. It also argued that fees paid by landlords to join the future private rented sector database should help fund a substantial increase in council enforcement capacity.
For landlords, the message is that the formal 2035 deadline may not be the only date that matters. Political pressure is building for earlier action, tougher checks and a system where compliant landlords could face both faster upgrade expectations and a larger share of enforcement costs.
Committee wants faster action on standards
The report welcomes the government’s plan to extend the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals, but says a long runway creates a risk that some landlords will delay work until the last possible moment. MPs want ministers to set incentives that encourage earlier improvements rather than relying on the back-end deadline alone.
That matters because the committee highlighted that around 10 percent of private rented homes still contain a Category 1 hazard. It also said local authorities should be better equipped to enforce standards across the sector, not just react when tenants push cases forward themselves.
Florence Eshalomi, chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said the government’s renters’ rights reforms were welcome, but added that more was needed to make sure “landlords play by the rules” and councils had the resources to act effectively.
Awaab’s Law and database fees move up the agenda
The committee’s biggest timing push was on Awaab’s Law. Ministers have already committed to bringing the hazard-repair regime into the private rented sector, but have not set a firm start date. MPs now want that rollout to begin in 2026, which would pull a live compliance issue much closer for landlords with older stock or unresolved damp, mould and safety problems.
The report also goes further on how enforcement should be funded. It says the new landlord database should do more than record who is operating in the market, and that registration fees should provide a ring-fenced annual funding stream for council regulatory work. That sits neatly alongside Landlord Knowledge’s recent report on database fees funding enforcement, but the committee adds fresh pressure by tying the argument to a broader push on housing conditions.
Landlords will also note that MPs rejected rent controls as a proportionate next step for now, arguing instead that ministers should make sure tribunal protections against above-market rent increases actually work. That is a more targeted recommendation, but it still points to a system with closer scrutiny of landlord decisions and a stronger role for councils and tribunals.
Why this matters before 2035
This follows Landlord Knowledge’s June report on the government’s Decent Homes push in temporary accommodation, which showed ministers already facing pressure to tighten housing standards beyond the social sector. The latest committee report suggests that pressure is hardening into a wider expectation that private landlords should not treat 2035 as a reason to wait.
The practical risk for landlords is not that the legal deadline has changed overnight, but that the politics around enforcement are moving faster than the formal timetable. Owners with older properties, damp risks or unresolved hazards may want to review stock condition sooner, especially with ministers already mapping the wider Renters’ Rights Act rollout in their implementation roadmap.
What this means for landlords
- If you own older stock: do not assume the 2035 Decent Homes deadline means nothing changes before then – Awaab’s Law and stronger council enforcement could bring earlier pressure.
- Watch for: consultation detail on Awaab’s Law timing, database design and whether landlord fees are ring-fenced for enforcement.
- Check now: homes with damp, mould, excess cold or other hazard risks are the ones most likely to come under sharper scrutiny first.
- Bottom line: the compliance timetable may be long on paper, but political pressure is building for landlords to act much sooner.
Editor’s view
The 2035 deadline always looked generous on paper. What changes the picture is the growing push to use Awaab’s Law, database fees and council enforcement to pull real pressure forward, which means landlords may face practical compliance costs well before the formal cut-off.
Author: Editorial Team – UK landlord & buy-to-let news, policy, and finance
Published: 03 July 2026
Sources: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, UK Parliament, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Related reading: Government says PRS database fees may fund council enforcement
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