Healthy Homes and Buildings
Earlier this week I attended the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthy Homes and Buildings meeting. Alongside observers from other trade and professional bodies, charities and lobby groups, committee members and invited guests presented on the importance of healthy homes and buildings.
Co-Chair of the committee, Gideon Amos MP, shared examples of the discussions MPs were having regarding the proposed Renters Rights Bill. He indicated his desire to see the Bill applied to all privately rented accommodation, including that for the armed services, something which the PCA campaigned for last year. The draft Bill includes a proposed ‘renter database’, the contents of which were being discussed by government. Initial discussions of what the database should hold included whether the landlord had criminal convictions, the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the building’s ‘health’; with what data should be recorded to demonstrate health, being discussed. The committee designing the proposals believe that this initiative would provide tenants with the opportunity to better choose which home to live in.
In 2050, 85% of the homes we live in will be building stock that we have today. Lynne Sullivan of the Construction Leadership Council highlighted that there was an economic case for building healthy homes. The National Retrofit Strategy published in 2021, highlighted that for every pound spent on training and other activities linked to retrofit, up to twice the amount would return to the government via taxes, it would sustain up to 500,000 jobs and result in a one third reduction in related NHS costs.
In the discussion which followed the presentations, I highlighted to MPs the statistics we set out in our response to the Future Homes Standard consultation and the BS 40104 consultation. The latest research indicates that up to 20% of the retrofit installed is not done so correctly and that our members have advised us that up to 80% of ventilation they inspected, had not been installed to Building Regulations. The unintended consequences of these factors combined, was exacerbating damp and mould problems, UK-wide. The difference between design and installation was highlighted as an issue by another attendee, with others echoing the need for better installer and tenant training, to ensure all had the tools they needed to control the moisture in their homes.
The challenge of a fragmented construction industry was also highlighted, with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) noted the need for regulation to be simplified, as the complex, overlapping regime made it difficult to deliver.
Other speakers including Anna Dixon MP for Shipley and Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, highlighted the need for buildings to be safe spaces for residents and have a positive, rather than negative, impact on their health. A licencing scheme introduced in Dagenham and Rainham, had according to Margaret Mullane, improved standards in local properties. Although there was no clear link between housing conditions and crime, there was a link between depravation and crime, and by improving housing conditions, she believed outcomes for local people would also improve.
Hannah Gibson of Innovate UK, highlighted the outcome of their research, which would ultimately lead to funding for projects linked to the Warm Homes Plan. When interviewed, residents said their priorities were comfort, affordability and the health of their families.
Hannah’s message was an important one. As a trade association we may discuss the complexities of regulation, or provide technical input to consultations when linked to healthy homes. To ensure there is wide public support for healthy homes and buildings, we need to bring them on the journey with us. There are 30 million homes to be decarbonised in the UK, each with a homeowner or resident who needs to understand their role in that journey and be provided with the tools to protect their home and family, over the long-term.
The APPG’s Healthy Homes Manifesto sets out the aims of the group and the PCA will continue to support it. At committee meetings, we will continue to champion our research, technical knowledge and the role of our members in delivering healthy homes and buildings.