Decent Homes
The Council is committed to maintaining and improving the condition of its properties to ensure that it increases the lifetime of your home.
Between 2002 and 2010, we invested over £300m in housing and environmental improvements to more than 19,000 Council homes across borough through the Decent Homes programme. This included:
- More than 15,000 new kitchens
- Almost 12,000 bathrooms
- Nearly 9,000 full or partial re-wires
- Around 13,000 central heating systems
- Windows at 14,000 properties
- 12,000 high security doors
Our work will continue to ensure that all of the Council homes continue to meet the Decent Homes standard year on year.
The Decent Homes scheme was a major government initiative committed to bringing as many Council homes as possible up to a Decent standard by December 2010.
In Rotherham, the programme was completed on schedule, with a customer satisfaction rating of around 98 per cent. Over 19,000 Council house tenants are now living in warmer, more modern and secure homes thanks to the Decent Homes programme.
The properties where no work was carried out during the programme were on those where tenants who lived in the property when the initial surveys were carried out early in the programme either refused the works or the tenant could not be contacted at the time the Decent Homes programme was in their area.
Where new tenants have moved into these properties, a programme has been planned to bring these homes up to the Decent Standard in future years, with funding being made available locally for the improvements.
In addition, to ensure homes do not fall below the Decent Standard, stock condition surveys have been completed on all Council homes. Any home brought up to the Decent Standard will therefore be maintained to a Decent Standard - with a rolling programme of renewal planned into future works.
To meet the Decent Homes standard, a home must:
- Be free from damp
- Have a kitchen less than 20 years old
- Have a bathroom less than 20 years old
- Have an efficient heating system
- Be in a reasonable state of repair
- Have double glazed windows
- Have secure external doors
Last update: 07/06/2011
