London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jun 10, 2023

Anger over carpet being ripped out of social housing

Anger over carpet being ripped out of social housing

Anti-poverty campaigners are calling for housing associations to stop tearing up carpets between tenants and leaving many with bare floors.

Most social landlords rip up flooring when a tenant moves out due to hygiene - but it's not always replaced quickly.

Some 1.2 million people in the UK have no carpet or flooring in their bedrooms and living areas, a survey suggests.

Lena and her son moved into a flat in Oldham months ago but the floors are still bare.

"It makes it really hard to keep either of the bedrooms warm," she said.

By law UK landlords only have to put flooring in kitchens and bathrooms. Campaign group End Furniture Poverty is calling for this law to extend to the rest of the house.

It is urging housing associations to inspect and reuse what is already there where possible.

The vast majority of people living without flooring in all rooms - 760,000 - were in social housing, according to the survey of 5,500 people carried out by The National Centre for Social Research.

It also found 4.8 million adults in the UK were living without at least one item of essential furniture, like floors, beds, fridges, curtains or blinds.

Lena's bedroom and stairs have no carpet and old grippers stick out around the edge


When Lena moved into her first floor flat she did not have a bed so spent the first few nights sleeping on top of a duvet on the concrete floor in her bedroom.

Research by The Leeds Sustainability Institute states that carpets can reduce air leakage by up to a third in some homes, making homes without carpet, lino, or laminate more expensive and difficult to heat.

Lena said it was unlikely that she would be able to afford to carpet the house herself before winter.

"You've got to get the carpet, get it fitted and then delivery, so how do you do that on a low income? I'm trying my best, but I can only do what I can," she said.

Kelly Webb, director of customer services at Lena's landlord, First Choice Homes Oldham said its approach was leave any good quality floor coverings in place.

"We also offer help to customers who are struggling to afford flooring and furnishings so they can settle into their home comfortably," she said.

Kate Henderson, chief executive of the National Housing Federations said: "In social housing, carpets have historically been removed as standard practice for practical reasons, to ensure hygiene between lets and to prevent any possible contamination."

But End Furniture Poverty called this a "terrible policy" and urged housing associations to inspect, clean and leave flooring in place if possible.

Claire Donovan head of policy at the campaign group said: "That's low cost, it's quick, it's easy and could help over three quarters of a million people who are living without flooring in social housing."

Lena's bedroom floor still has no carpet months after she moved in


Each country in the UK has responsibility for its own social housing under devolved powers from the government.

The Welsh Government is due to publish standards for social housing which require that all habitable rooms, including staircases and landings have suitable coverings. It told the BBC it expected this to become law in the Autumn.

End Furniture Poverty is calling on the governments in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to do the same.

The Department for Housing in England said: "Landlords must ensure homes are of a decent standard and investigate and respond to complaints quickly. If residents are unhappy, they can contact the Housing Ombudsman."

The Scottish Government said: "Provision of floor coverings is the responsibility and personal choice of social housing tenants" and that the Scottish Housing Charter states homes must be in a good state of repair.

And in Northern Ireland the Department for Communities said there were "no plans to legislate on flooring" but that there is a support fund for those in crisis which could apply to flooring.

David Ripley said Thirteen Group Housing Association in Middlesbrough guarantees flooring for every tenant


A handful of social housing providers are already tackling the issue. In Middlesbrough, Thirteen Group Housing Association guarantee flooring for every tenant.

Chief executive David Ripley said: "We looked at our process and thought actually there's a different way to manage this risk.

"The use of disclaimers came in to enable us to leave existing carpets and flooring within properties."

He said the price of new carpets in some properties had not cost the business any extra as tenants had stayed in properties longer, looked after them better and been less likely to fall into rent arrears.

"That saves Thirteen Group £1.5m each year… which we reinvest back by putting the flooring in the properties when we let them," he added.

Some charities are also working to help put an end to families living without flooring.

The Church-based donation site ACTS 435 have managed to get hundreds of individuals funding for flooring in bedrooms and living rooms.

Greenstream Flooring in Porth give away re-used carpet tiles to people in need who have been referred. And No Floor No More based in St Albans gather up old carpets and laminate flooring to re-distribute to social housing tenants in need.


What should I do if I have no floor?


• Ask your Housing Association or landlord for help

• Check if your local council has any funding in its Local Welfare Assistance or Household Support Fund which could be used on flooring to help insulate your home

• Ask around to see if any charities in your area help with flooring

• Check re-use sites like Freecycle to see if any bits of carpet or laminate flooring are being given away.

• Even small rugs, draught-excluders and stick-on flooring will go some way to help keep the room warm.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
Close
0:00
0:00
The Fed fixing the economy
You Are So Beautiful
Corporations standing up for “LGDP-LGT-LBG-LGBTQ2+ kids” during ‘Pride Month’ be like:
Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
US and European Intelligence Agencies Uncover Evidence of Ukrainian Role in Terror Attack on Nord Stream Pipeline
An old French tune (by Georges Brassens) Pomplamoose ft. John Schroeder
Prince Harry to Testify in Phone Hacking Case Against Mirror Group Newspapers
Sattahip Motor Show 20
The driver has been described by authorities as a 21-year-old woman from Tallahassee
SONATE AU CLAIR DE LUNE - Moonlight sonata
Joe Biden falls at the Air Force Graduation
A kiss to build a dream on
America's Got Talent…
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
Mean Blues
Drone Attack on Moscow's Wealthiest Neighborhoods Suspected to be Launched by Ukraine
La Chansonnette
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Hold Power Talks with President Biden in Washington
Pattaya Addicts
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
Franz Liszt - Liebestraum - Love Dream
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
Dream a little dream of me
Climate cultists thought they had sabotaged another beautiful event — then the cameraman had his revenge.
Unchained Melody sung like you've NEVER heard!
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
Dave Brubeck - Take Five
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
Édith Piaf - Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (Sofie)
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
Rondo Alla Turca
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
Kiss of fire
Actor Tom Hanks told Harvard University graduates to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain
Tom Jones - I´ll Never Fall In Love Again 1967, 1989, 2001
The Sussexes' Royal Rebound: Could Harry and Meghan Markle Return to the UK?
Israel Cachao López - Guajira Clásica
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
Edward Maya - Stereo Love (feat. Vika Jigulina) (Extended Mix)
France Arrests 10 on Suspicion of Failing to Respond in Time to Migrant Drowning
Strauss - Radetzky March - Karajan
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
La vie en rose
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
The Temptations - My Girl (Smokey Robinson Tribute) 2006 Kennedy Cent
WATCH THIS: democracy in Russia is so bad!
Orlando Cachaito Lopez Redencion
Ed Davey: It is possible for a woman to have a penis
Edith Piaf - NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
RADETZKY MARCH-2008-Wien, New Year Concert
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
Only you (And you alone)
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Strangers In The Night
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Charles Aznavour - La Boheme
Steve Jobs introducing Apple's iPhone, exactly 16 years ago.
Summer time
Banking Behemoth vs Ex-Boss: The PMorgan-Epstein Entanglement
Sting and Stevie Wonder - Fragile (from Sting's 60th birthday concert)
China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporter
Aux Champs Elysees
Banking Behemoth vs Ex-Boss: The PMorgan-Epstein Entanglement
Stand By Me - Ben E. King (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Elon Musk's SpaceX and Italy's Unipol join forces to help Italians hit by flooding
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) – Avalon Jazz Band
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
She
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
Nathalie Song by Enzo Petrachi Stjepan Hauser Cello
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
Shape of My Heart - Sting (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
Radiohead - Creep
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Quizás,Quizás,Quizás - Andrea Bocelli - Jennifer Lopez
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps - Multi-Couples
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Pentatonix Havana
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Paula Cole - Autumn Leaves
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
Oscar Benton Bensonhurst Blues
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
OH NANANA vs ABUSADAMENTE
Vienna: Passenger Plays Hitler Speeches on Train, Causes Panic
Nina Simone - ”I Put A Spell On You”. Vezi aici cum cântă Jeremy Ragsd
Remarkable video from our Fox drone team
NIGHTWISH - The Phantom Of The Opera
The official tapes of Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll battery (rape) and defamation case have been released.
Motorshow 2016 Tanjay Negros Oriental
Here is the full video that the media are purposely not sharing
Monica Bellucci - Ti Amo
King Charles III being crowned.
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Milena The Voice France 2018
Newly released video of Donald Trump’s rape trial deposition:
Michael Buble (Help Me Make It Through The Night) feat Loren Allred
Memories Canon In D - Maroon 5 (Boyce Avenue piano acoustic cover)
Matteo Simoni - Marina
Maroon 5 - One More Night
Maroon 5 - Memories
Mark Knopfler - Brothers In Arms (Berlin 2007 Live)
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris - Romeo And Juliet (Real Live Roadrunni
Marina, Marina - The LUCKY DUCKIES intimist live concert at Guimarães
Major Lazer & DJ Snake – Lean On Mauranne The Voice France 2016
Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - Joslin - Henri Mancini, Nino Rota
LoLa & Hauser - Love Story
Linkin Park Jay-Z - Numb Encore (Live 8 2005)
Hallelujah Mennel Ibtissem, The Voice France Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love
Leonard Cohen & Natasha Rostova - Dance me to the end of love
La casa de papel - Bella Ciao
La Camisa Negra
L'italiano (Toto Cutugno) - The Gypsy Queens
Juanes - La Camisa Negra
Jonathan and Charlotte - Britain's Got Talent 2012 Live Semi Final - U
John Powell - Assassin's Tango
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On (LIVE in Dortmund)
Joe Cocker - Unchain My Heart 2002 Live
Joe Cocker - A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Jay Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind LIVE
Jason Mraz - Im Yours (live)
Jarrod Radnich - Bohemian Rhapsody - Virtuosic Piano Solo
James Blunt - You're Beautiful
James Blunt - You're Beautiful & Bonfire Heart (Live at The Nobel Peac)
If You Go Away - Helen Merrill & Stan Getz (Tribute to Virna Lisi)
I'LL BE MISSING YOU
I Say a Little Prayer
Hotel California ( Eagles ) 1994 Live
Historia de un amor - Luz Casal. Vezi interpretarea Biancăi Sumanariu
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover) on Spot
Heart - Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin - Kennedy Center Honors
HAVANA by Camila Cabello Zumba Pre Cooldown TML Crew Kramer Pastra
HAUSER and Señorita - I Will Always Love You
HAUSER - Waka Waka
HAUSER - Sway
HAUSER - Lambada
HAUSER - Historia de un Amor
HAUSER - Despacito
Great Pretender
Georgia May Foote & Giovanni Pernice Samba to 'Volare' - Strictly Come
Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues
GIPSY KINGS VOLARE Penelope Cruz
Fugees - Killing Me Softly With His Song
French Latino - Historia de un Amor
For A Few Dollars More The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Flashdance • What a Feeling • Irene Cara
Filip Rudan - “Someone You Loved” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sez
Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight
Enya - Only Time
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando (English Version) ft. Sean Paul
Enrique Iglesias - Bailamos
Elena Yerevan Historia de un amor
Ed Sheeran - Shape of You (Official Music Video)
Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony [with Andrea Bocelli]
Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)
Easy On Me - Adele (Boyce Avenue 90’s style piano acoustic cover) on S
ERA - Ameno
ELENA YEREVAN- Cancion Del Mariachi-IN STUDIO-2017 DPR
Dust In The Wind - Kansas (Boyce Avenue acoustic cover)
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Despacito x Shape Of You - Pentatonix
Deep Purple - Child In Time - Live (1970)
David Foster When A Man Loves A WomanIt's A Mans World (SealMichael Bo
Dance me to the end of Love ( Pi-Air Design )
Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise (feat. L.V.) [Official Music Video]
Conquest Of Paradise (Vangelis), played on Böhm Emporio organ
Cielito Lindo
Chico & The Gypsies - Bamboleo
Canción Del Mariachi - Antonio Banderas, Los Lobos • Desperado
Camila Cabello - Havana (Audio) ft. Young Thug
Camila Cabello - Havana ( cover by J.Fla )
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas José Feliciano (Boyce Ave
Buster Benton - Money Is The Name of The Game
Hallelujah Pentatonix
Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (Official Music Video)
Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Emilia The Voice Kids France
Besame Mucho - Cesaria Evora
Ben E. King - Stand by Me Sax Cover Alexandra Ilieva Thomann
Bella Ciao
Bella Ciao - INSTRUMENTAL
Beautiful in White x Canon in D (Piano Cover by Riyandi Kusuma)
Bad Romance - Vintage 1920's Gatsby Style Lady Gaga Cover ft. Ariana Savalas & Sarah Reich(1)
BELLA CIAO 2020 - KARAOKE ITALIANO
BAMBOLEO - Gipsy Kings • Antonio Banderas, Katya Virshilas
BAILANDO (original)
Awesome Ukrainian yodeler - SOFIA SHKIDCHENKO (with English subtitles)
Avicii - The Nights
Atom - The Great Gig in the Sky
Aretha Franklin - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Official Ly
Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi (Desperado)
André Rieu - Zorba's Dance (Sirtaki)
André Rieu - Can't Help Falling In Love
André Rieu & Mirusia - Ave Maria
Andrew Reyes Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down The Voice 2020 (
Andreas Kümmert Whiter Shade Of Pale The Voice of Germany 2013 Showd
And I Love You So
All About That Bass - Postmodern Jukebox European Tour Version
Alan Walker - Faded (Piano Cover)
Ain't No Sunshine -- Bill Withers (cover by Canen 12 y.o.)
African music
Adriana Vidović - “Creep” Audicija 4 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
Adriana Vidović - “Believer” Nokaut 3 The Voice Hrvatska Sezona 3
A Fistful of Dollars - The Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Tuva
4 Beautiful Soundtracks Relaxing Piano [10min]
2CELLOS - Whole Lotta Love vs. Beethoven 5th Symphony [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
2CELLOS - Smooth Criminal (Live at Suntory Hall, Tokyo)
2CELLOS - Smells Like Teen Spirit [Live at Sydney Opera House]
2CELLOS - Despacito [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
13 Year Old Girl Playing Il Silenzio (The Silence) - André Rieu
094.All About That Bass
00 - SADNESS PART 1
(Ghost) Riders In the Sky (American Outlaws Live at Nassau Coliseum, 1
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams (Boyce Avenue ft. Conn
What a wonderful world
Moon river
×