The government must fully fund an improvement in flooring standards for social housing, argues Aileen Edmunds, chief executive of the Longleigh Foundation. Flooring is a critical issue within the social housing sector, affecting quality, stigma, tenancy sustainment, cost of living, and anti-social behaviour. At the Longleigh Foundation, the daily impact of inadequate provision is evident through grant funding efforts. This prompted the Foundation to commission extensive research on floor coverings in social housing, conducted by Altair, inspired by the successful change in Welsh Housing Quality Standard from the Tpas Cymru and Tai Pawb Floored report.
In a recently published final report, findings from earlier learning reports were combined with additional research on funding and broader policy considerations. The report provides recommendations for political leaders, social housing leaders, voids and lettings staff in social housing providers, and social housing tenants.
The research calls for the government and political leaders to commit to fully funding an improvement in the floor covering standard of social housing in England and Scotland, with additional funding for Wales, which already has higher standards than the rest of Britain. The initial funding required to begin installing floor coverings in all social housing is estimated at £494.7 million in the first year. This amount would decrease in subsequent years to £486.2 million annually from years two to five and £346 million annually from year six onwards. The reduction in funding for later years is due to lower turnover of lets from improved standards and the floor covering programme moving to replacement only.
Despite these seemingly large figures, research from End Furniture Poverty indicates that the social return on investment from floor coverings, as part of a wider package of furniture provision, could be worth as much as £7,673 in 2024. The cost of funding would be offset by increased trade value for floor fitters, increased employment, higher productivity, and increased tax receipts.
The third learning report on the landlord perspective reveals that housing associations and local authorities can expect returns from lower void turnover, less void loss, and reduced rental arrears. The impact on tenants is also significant. For instance, a case study in the second learning report highlights the difficulties a lack of floor coverings can cause around debt and community ties. Fiona, who moved into a new social rented home, was surprised to find it did not come with floor coverings. Her previous social rented property with carpets felt more homely and safe, which made it easier for her to settle in. Fiona explored various ways to source carpets, including her landlord and the local Citizens Advice, but the quotes from a local carpet company were over £1,000, which she could not afford. The absence of floor coverings made her feel ashamed to have people over and led to injuries from the floorboards, forcing her to wear shoes all the time in her new home.
The removal of floor coverings or the use of inappropriate ones, such as those without underlay, can also create tension between neighbours due to noise issues, as highlighted by the 2022 noise complaints Spotlight report from the Housing Ombudsman.
The final report discusses the wide-ranging challenges from not providing floor coverings. These include domestic abuse survivors being more likely to return to perpetrators, people experiencing homelessness being less likely to sustain tenancies, and young people potentially engaging in risk-taking behaviour, such as joining gangs, because they spend more unsupervised time out of a home that is not fully furnished.
Tenants have indicated that the lack of floor coverings results in additional stress and can lead to debt, which might detract from addressing other issues in their lives. With the focus on consumer standards, health and safety, and housing quality, the report questions whether individuals would live in a home without floor coverings. How would it feel to look around a home to buy or rent, only to find the floor coverings had been removed upon moving in? This is the reality for an estimated 760,000 UK adults in social housing who live without floor coverings. MRI Software’s Resident Voice Index found that over three-quarters of tenants (77% of 7,955 social housing tenants) moved into homes with partial or no floor coverings.
There is a call for improvement, urging the government and the sector to step up. Recognising the challenging operating environment for social landlords, reflected in financial forecasts, it is believed the government should not expect landlords to fund an improvement in standards. However, social landlords are encouraged to review their floor covering practices and standards.
Social landlords are asked to stop removing good-quality floor coverings from homes unless the incoming tenant requests their removal. If landlords do not provide floor coverings in all rooms at the point of let, it is recommended they explore the impact of doing so through a floor coverings pilot, using the business case and research tools in the final report. Landlords that provide floor coverings are also encouraged to highlight the benefits of doing so.
A change in standards is believed to deliver widespread improvements for social housing tenants, staff, and homes, and the aim is to work with the sector to achieve this. The financial cost of provision is acknowledged, and the government is urged to fund it. There is also a moral case – pride in the homes rented, homes that reflect the sector’s values.
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