NEW Government figures have deemed one in six Tendring homes as 'non-decent', meaning many homes could pose a risk to health or life.

According to the Government's English Housing Survey, 16 per cent of all 67,719 occupied homes in Tendring failed to meet the standard, which is higher than the average of 15 per cent across the country.

Across England, 3.6 million homes across the country were deemed ‘non-decent’.

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System assessment considers 29 categories of separately rated hazards, with those scoring 1,000 or more listed as Category 1 hazards.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Aerial - One in six Tendring homes listed as non-decentAerial - One in six Tendring homes listed as non-decent (Image: PA)

Local authorities have a duty to act when Category 1 hazards are present, which 9 per cent of homes in Tendring are living with. 

These hazards can present in 29 different ways, including dampness, asbestos, overcrowding and poor hygiene such as the presence of pests, sanitation and drainage.

In the district, 27 per cent of privately rented homes were deemed non-decent and 5 per cent of all social homes were said to be the same.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette: Property - 3.6 million homes across the country have been deemed ‘non-decent’Property - 3.6 million homes across the country have been deemed ‘non-decent’ (Image: PA)

Councillor Andy Baker, Tendring Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, said quality housing was important for people’s health and wellbeing.

He said: “As a landlord ourselves of more than 3,000 homes we understand how important it is that people have a decent place to live.

"We monitor this through our stock survey; that is why we have set improving our housing stock as one of our priority actions for this year, to ensure we continue to create even better places to live for our tenants.

“In addition, our private sector housing team works to support a number of residents who are in poor quality homes.

"We engage with landlords, including at a recent Landlord Open Day event, to push for best practice, and where they do not provide decent homes we take enforcement action, working with our partners to improve quality of life for our residents.

"This includes our NHS-funded Healthy Homes initiative too.”

The English Housing Survey is a continuous national survey commissioned by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

It collects information about people's housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England.