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64% of Welsh social homes fail Shelter Cymru standard
Nearly two-thirds of social rented homes in Wales do not meet Shelter Cymru’s new Living Home Standard largely as a result of concerns about affordability, the charity has revealed.
A study found that 64% of social rented households do not meet the standard’s criteria for a decent, affordable home – compared to 61% of private rented households.
Affordability was the main reason for social rented homes to fail the test, with 51% of those managed by housing associations and 36% of those local authorities missing this criteria.
The study, carried out by Ipsos Mori on behalf of Shelter Cymru and British Gas, was based on 344 interviews with adults in Wales about their homes.
To meet the affordability criteria, interviewees needed to confirm they were able to meet the rent without regularly having to cut spending on household essentials or were not worried that rates could rise to a level that would be difficult to pay.
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The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Cymru said the survey’s findings demonstrated “the challenges in mitigating the impacts of welfare reform, continuing to provide truly affordable rents and boosting investment in the provision of social housing”.
The overall percentage of people living in homes in Wales that did not achieve the standard was 44%.
John Puzey, director of Shelter Cymru, said: “Wales has seen some groundbreaking changes in housing policy in the past few years.
“With landlord registration and licensing, exciting new homelessness legislation and ambitious affordable housebuilding targets, there is much to look forward to. However, this report has highlighted just how far we still have to go in Wales.”
Besides affordability the standard measured criteria on home condition, stability, space, and the safety of the neighbourhood.
Across all housing types, cold, damp and mould were the most common reasons for homes to fail the standard, with 20% of respondents to the survey saying they experienced these issues.
Among social housing, 28% of housing association households and 30% of local authority households did not meet the conditions criteria.
The Welsh Housing Quality Standard requires all social landlords to improve their stock to a level deemed acceptable by the Welsh Government by 2020.
The Welsh Government has been approached for comment.
