Three in ten privately rented homes are considered "non-decent" and one in six are physically unsafe – even though councils have a legal obligation to correct hazards in the home.

This is considerably higher than for other forms of tenure and points to a sector-wide problem. Although the law requires landlords to ensure their properties are free from major hazards, we need to go further than that and ensure that there are national minimum standards for any property being rented in the private sector. This could be done by extending the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals and making it mandatory for all new rental contracts. We also need checks and enforcement, such as mandatory periodic inspection and testing of electrical installations and appliances in all types of privately rented homes.

In March 2015 the coalition limited the use of no-fault evictions when landlords haven't made repairs that the local council has ordered - revenge evictions - through the Deregulation Act.

Read more of our proposals for improving conditions in our Queens Speech for Housing.