{"id":19037,"date":"2023-11-21T11:00:33","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T11:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/?post_type=blog&p=19037"},"modified":"2023-11-21T11:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T11:00:33","slug":"considering-equalities-in-retrofit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taipawb.org\/cy\/news\/2023\/considering-equalities-in-retrofit\/","title":{"rendered":"Considering equalities in retrofit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ross<\/div>\n

It\u2019s fair to say it has been a long time in the making \u2013 but the new iteration of the Welsh Housing Quality Standards (WHQS) is upon us.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

But, first, to be able look forward with confidence, it is often useful to look back at what has been achieved. Some 99 per cent of social housing dwellings have been rated WHQS compliant (including acceptable fails), with three quarters fully compliant, a clear indication that social housing more generally is in better condition that it might have been without a national standards impetus.<\/p>\n

Alongside a broad range of stakeholders, over the last 18 months Tai Pawb has played its role in helping shape a new framework that builds on that progress \u2013 a framework that is fit for purpose, bold and ambitious.<\/p>\n

It has not come without its challenges \u2013 nor do those challenges disappear because the new framework is live. Anybody working in and around the housing sector in Wales knows it\u2019s a busy place to be with many competing demands, and that\u2019s putting it mildly.<\/p>\n

It almost goes without saying that Tai Pawb welcomes the keen focus and additional expectations on equalities in the new standards.<\/p>\n

On flooring<\/strong>, the framework outlines that \u201cat change of tenancy, all habitable rooms\u2026 located within the home should have suitable floor coverings\u201d.<\/em> Under the existing framework \u2013 which has been in place since 2002 \u2013 there has been no expectation that social housing providers would supply new flooring in areas other than kitchens and bathrooms, meaning many homes have floor coverings removed and are left without a suitable covering when newly-let.<\/p>\n

In 2020, we published a\u00a0paper<\/a>\u00a0alongside TPAS Cymru, highlighting the impact of a lack of flooring on tenants. In a survey carried out at the time, social tenants reported that the cost of purchasing flooring themselves was prohibitive while homes lacked warmth and safety. Further, health issues were cited such as breathing difficulties and depression, while tenants with children highlighted safety problems with hard concrete or wooden flooring, including splinters. The report made a series of recommendations, calling on social housing providers to consider grants for flooring, options for tenants to keep existing floor coverings and for Welsh Government to undertake a review of WHQS to include the provision of appropriate flooring.<\/p>\n

Three years on,\u00a0we recently launched a new paper<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>to highlight practice among social landlords in both keeping existing flooring within properties as well as providing new flooring. \u2018Floored: a practice compendium\u2019 is the culmination of partnership work where social landlords across Wales have shared case studies on piloting and adopting new practice in the provision of flooring:<\/p>\n