The UK currently treats warmth as a luxury or a landlord's whim. To change this, the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) must evolve. Instead of merely flagging "excess cold" as a hazard after a tenant complains, the law should establish a baseline internal temperature as a statutory right.
Building Regulations Part L needs a total overhaul. Current codes focus on reducing heat loss to meet carbon targets. They rarely guarantee that a resident can actually afford to keep the room warm. Legally mandating "thermal autonomy" would require properties to maintain habitable temperatures through passive design or subsidized efficient heating.
Then there is the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) used for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). The government could mandate a minimum EPC rating for all residential tenancies, backed by heavy fines for non-compliance. This turns a grade on a piece of paper into a legal shield for the resident. Shifting the burden of proof from the tenant to the property owner ensures that cold homes are treated as structural failures rather than personal financial failings.
