More than 35,000 homes in West Suffolk, East Suffolk, Babergh, Ipswich and Mid Suffolk pose serious threat to residents, figures show

More than 35,000 Suffolk homes could pose a serious threat to residents, Government figures have shown.

Last week, the Government released its 2023 condition estimates for homes across Suffolk, modelling close to 350,000 total homes in the county.

It revealed as many as 38,592 homes could have Category 1 hazards, meaning they failed the minimum standard for housing in England and posed the most serious harm to residents.

These hazards can include anything from excess hot or cold, to asbestos, to electrical hazards and explosions.

The highest proportion of non-decent homes with serious risks to residents was found in Babergh and Mid Suffolk districts, with 14 and 13.2 per cent of homes having Category 1 hazards — equivalent to 5,511 and 6,432 homes respectively.

Of these, 222 homes were classed as social homes.

Although councils have enforcement powers even over private landlords and owners, whose homes make up the vast majority of those with such hazards, they often only use them when a complaint is made by tenants.

Where council officers find these hazards, they serve notices ordering to fix the issues, leading to fines and court actions where these works are not carried out.

Schemes such as Safe Suffolk Renters have been launched by district and borough councils to improve the county’s private rented sector.

Meanwhile, on social homes, a spokesperson on behalf of the two authorities said: “Our tenants are our priority, and everyone should be able to live in a safe, warm home.

"In the last two years, we have transformed our housing services, including repairs and maintenance services, and are pleased that tenant satisfaction has been increasing as a result.

"However, we recognise there is still work to do, and we’ll continue to listen to tenants to ensure we meet their expectations."

East Suffolk is credited with having the biggest housing stock, at 115,269 across the district, 14,233 of which, or 12.4 per cent, are estimated to have dangerous hazards — 322 of these are social homes.

In West Suffolk and Ipswich, under 9 per cent of homes are estimated to pose a serious risk to residents, equivalent to 7,165 and 5,251 homes respectively across both districts.

For social housing, West Suffolk is estimated to have 217 homes with dangerous hazards, while Ipswich has 253.

Cllr Richard O'Driscoll, West Suffolk's lead for housing, said local authorities across the county had commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to pull and examine data on the challenges facing housing.

The BRE report, published in November, suggested the cost to address these hazards in West Suffolk in just the private rented and owner occupier sector alone would be more than £45m, though it estimated a higher number of homes with Category 1 hazards than the Government figures.

He said: “Recognising the importance good housing plays the council has as one of its strategic priorities: affordable, available and decent homes

"New powers are being introduced nationally to support greater enforcement, which we are committed to using, but ideally we want owners and landlords to make the improvements for healthier homes, without the need for compulsion."