🚨 Regulation vs. Retrofit

Thursday 2nd May 2024

The Decency Crisis

Council Stock Borough-wide / Decent Homes Standard

The Decency Dilemma: Why Retrofit is Haringey’s Biggest Construction Challenge
While new builds get attention, the biggest challenge in Haringey is the condition of its existing housing stock. Data confirmed in May 2024 showed the scale of the task: bringing existing council homes up to the Decent Homes Standard (DHS) and tackling long-overdue compliance work (Fire Safety, Electrical Safety).

The Focus Shift: Haringey is undertaking a massive Retrofit Programme, aiming for high compliance with standards like PAS 2035 (the UK standard for energy retrofit). This means moving from repairing leaks to whole-house deep refurbishment—new insulation, new windows, and potentially ground-source heat pumps.

The Private Sector Connection: This is a huge opportunity for private builders. Retrofit demands highly specialised skills (PAS 2035 Coordinators, airtightness experts). The market is moving away from the simple 'fit and forget' boiler installation to complex, fabric-first solutions. Homeowners in older stock in Highgate (N6) or Muswell Hill (N10) must adopt this fabric-first approach to meet the borough's Net Zero goals, making refurbishment costs significantly higher but more sustainable.

Robbins Construction Ltd Opinion: The focus on existing stock is overdue. We are investing in PAS 2035 training for our team because compliance is now driven by legislation and tenant safety, not just by desire. The debate for private homeowners is clear: investing in deep retrofit now will future-proof your home's value against inevitable tightening of minimum EPC standards.