Quantifying the health benefits of the Decent Homes programme FB 64
BRE ( Building Research Establishment ) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.
Decent housing is a preventative service that helps to reduce costs to the NHS, for example, by providing the right environment for people to stay safe and well, to be treated in or closer to home when they are ill and to recover quickly from episodes of ill health after a shorter time in hospital.
Quantifying the health benefits of the Decent Homes programme (FB 64) was written by Helen Garrett, Maggie Davidson, Mike Roys, Simon Nicol and Viv Mason and published by BRE on 14 Apr 2014.
This 40-page report quantifies how much the improvements to social housing arising from the Decent Homes programme (2001–2010) have reduced the costs to the NHS of treating housing-related injuries and illnesses. It uses the same methodology developed to calculate the costs of poor housing in England described in BRE’s 2010 report The real cost of poor housing.
The report also discusses:
- The additional costs to society of non-decent homes.
- The impact of less serious, but still significant levels of Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) hazards.
- The work that remains to be done in terms of dealing with homes that are still non-decent.
- The importance of maintaining standards in dwellings that are currently decent.
Its contents include:
- Foreword.
- Executive summary.
- Introduction.
- Overview of methods and background.
- Estimating the actual reduction in hazards between 2001 and 2010.
- Estimating the cost of work required to make homes decent.
- Estimating the reduction in costs to the NHS.
- Additional costs to society of non-decent homes and the benefits of improving them.
- What is left to do.
- Conclusions.
- References.
- Appendices.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- BRE articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BRE Buzz articles on Designing Buildings Wiki.
- BREEAM.
- Building Research Establishment.
- Decent Homes for Ageing Well.
- Decent homes standard.
- Housing contribution to regeneration.
- The cold man of europe 2015.
- The cost of poor housing to the NHS.
- The cost-benefit to the NHS arising from preventative housing interventions (FB82).
- The full cost of poor housing.
- The full cost of poor housing in Wales.
- The real cost of poor housing.
Featured articles and news
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.
The 2025 draft NPPF in brief with indicative responses
Local verses National and suitable verses sustainable: Consultation open for just over one week.
Increased vigilance on VAT Domestic Reverse Charge
HMRC bearing down with increasing force on construction consultant says.
Call for greater recognition of professional standards
Chartered bodies representing more than 1.5 million individuals have written to the UK Government.






















