Safe and comfortable homes

Safe and decent homes

parent and 3 children arriving home dressed in coats house has clear window and door

Whether you rent or own your home you want to know that it is safe and decent.

You can get advice on hazards and flooding in and around the home to help you recognise and fix issues before or as they arise.

There are both local and government services available to help you identify problems and keep your home in good condition.

What can I do if my home is unsafe?

If you are a tenant of a housing association (registered social housing)

If you live in a housing association property and you have an issue with your home there are ways to ‘Make it Right’.

To resolve an issue under the “make it right” scheme you can

  1. Report it to your landlord
  2. Complain to your landlord
  3. Escalate to the Housing Ombudsman

You can take these steps for lots of issues, including

  • mould or damp
  • poor insulation
  • broken doors or windows
  • leaking pipes other repairs
  • anti-social behaviour
  • access problems
  • poor service from your landlord

Most landlords have a website with a form to fill in, as well as an email address or phone number you can use. Check your contract or your landlord’s website for any contact details.

If you report an issue and your landlord does not take action, you can complain to your landlord. They should have a website explaining their complaints process. Landlords must take your complaint seriously. They cannot penalise you in any way for raising a problem or making a complaint.

Most landlords have 2 stages to their complaints process

  1. Stage 1 complaint: They must respond within 10 working days from when the complaint is logged.
  2. Stage 2 complaint: If a complaint goes to stage 2, they must respond within 20 working days.

If you have followed your landlord’s complaints process fully and you’re still not satisfied with your landlord’s final response to a complaint, you can escalate it to the Housing Ombudsman. They are free to use, impartial and will investigate fairly.

Investigations take 6 months on average but can be faster or slower depending on the case. The Ombudsman will check the facts and do a thorough investigation. Should the Ombudsman rule against a landlord, they must show they are acting within 6 to 8 weeks.

When the risk is high, the council may take action at the same time. This may be when a tenant is elderly or vulnerable. This may also be if the risk may harm the tenant and the landlord has not fixed the problem.

The council with first write to the housing association about the problem. We will ask them to investigate and take the right action. The council will check that this has happened within 3 months. The council will take more enforcement action including as inspection.

If you are a private tenant (you rent privately or through an agent)

If you rent your home and need some advice, look at our Housing Standards Advice For Tenants for information on how we process your property condition enquiries.

We work to assist tenants with advice and encourage landlords to resolve issues in the first instance. Formal action will be considered in cases where informal action is unsuccessful.

Housing standards information for tenants

This information will

  • help you get necessary repairs carried out at your property
  • gives you guidance on what the law says about safety and repairs
  • tell you how and when to involve the Isle of Wight Council

This is not detailed legal advice.

Please note:

This information is in relation to assured shorthold tenancy agreements. It is not long leaseholder (tenancy of seven or more years). If you have a long leasehold agreement, some of this information may be relevant. You may need to seek independent legal advice if you are unsure. Consider your own action to resolve the property problems.

Before you raise a problem with your landlord or the Council, read the information on this page.

Hazards in the home

Hazards in the home are dealt with by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. This under the Housing Act 2004.

There are 29 hazards under the system. Some common hazards are

  • harmful are damp and mould growth
  • excess cold
  • asbestos
  • fire
  • carbon monoxide
  • electrical hazards
  • falls due to property deficiencies
  • food safety

Find out more about hazards in the home from GOV.UK

If you have any concerns about safety in your home, contact our Housing Renewal Service for advice.

It is important to have smoke alarms. It is good to also have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms the home.

If you live in rented accommodation, the landlord is required by law to have these fitted and working. 

More information about smoke and carbon monoxide regulations from GOV.UK

The Environment Agency has useful advice on preparing for and dealing with flooding.

Decent Homes Standard

The Decent Homes Standard is an aspirational model of safe and healthy living conditions brought in by the Government that applies to registered social housing and may in future be applied to the private rented sector.

A decent home is one that

  • meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing
  • is in a reasonable state of repair
  • has reasonably modern facilities and services
  • provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort

More information about the Decent Homes Standard

Background information

On the 19 November 2022 and the 25 November 2022 the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing & Communities, wrote to all local housing authorities. The letter directed them to prioritise enforcement activity in respect to damp and mould.

On 29th November 2022, the council responded to the letter.

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