Decent Homes Standard in the Private Rented Sector Afzal Khan (Manchester, Gorton) (Lab) I rise to present a petition on implementing the decent homes standard in the private rented sector. Over a million households in the private rented sector are living with damp, mould and other serious hazards, with one in five private renters reporting housing issues making them physically sick. The introduction of a legally binding decent homes standard in the private rented sector will significantly increase the enforcement powers of local authorities and help to hold private landlords to account. The petition states: “The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to introduce the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector across England. And the petitioners remain, etc.” Following is the full text of the petition: [The petition of residents of the constituency of Manchester Gorton, Declares that a decent home is warm, weatherproof and has reasonably modern facilities; further declares that everyone deserves to live in a home that is decent, safe and secure; notes that in the North West of England, a third of private rented homes fail to meet the Decent Homes Standard; further notes that hazards in the private rented sector cost the NHS £290 million annually; further declares alarm that over one in five private rented homes are not up to standard and as a consequence there are over a million households living with damp, mould and other serious hazards affecting their physical and mental health; and further notes that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities published A Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper in June 2022 which made provisions for a Decent Homes Standard and though the Government has committed to bringing such measures in, no details have yet been forthcoming. The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to urge the Government to introduce the Decent Homes Standard in the private rented sector across England. And the petitioners remain, etc.] [P002979]