Following our recent articles on the consultation of WHQS 2023, Welsh Government has now released the full guidance for maintaining and improving social housing in Wales. This is welcoming news to the sector, providing an updated standard from the original introduced in 2002 and then revised in 2008.
From reading the standard, it is really encouraging that Welsh Government has listened to the feedback from the sector and has aligned it with the ORP strategy. They (Welsh Government) has said that WHQS 2023 is a tenant focused Standard, designed to upgrade social homes in a way that contributes to positive health, education and wellbeing outcomes for tenants.
The purpose of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard is to ensure that all social housing in Wales is of good quality. All social homes must:
1. Be in a good state of repair
2. Be safe and secure
3. Be affordable to heat and have minimal environmental impact
4. Have an up-to-date kitchen and utility area
5. Have an up-to-date bathroom
6. Be comfortable and promote wellbeing
7. Have a suitable garden
8. Have an attractive outside space.
One of the major changes is that the landlords must carry out a Whole Stock Assessment and produce Target Energy Pathways for their homes (3d).
A Whole Stock Assessment is a review of a landlord’s stock condition and energy efficiency data, software and data analytical skills with the purpose of gaining sufficient understanding of their current housing stock. A Target Energy Pathway identifies measures that can lead to the decarbonisation of an individual dwelling such that it can be heated by a low carbon heating system at affordable cost.
One of the other major changes is that at change of tenancy, all habitable rooms (bedrooms and living rooms), staircases and landings located within the home should have suitable floor coverings (6b). This is an addition to the floor covering for the Kitchen and Bathroom areas that was in the last standard.
Landlords will be expected to ensure that all their homes reach a fabric-based EPC band C by 2029.
Here at CHIC, we have different routes to market to help with these changes.
Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS)
CHIC has four bespoke Wales Retrofit ORP DPSs’. These cover consultancy, installations, materials and compliance. They cover all the areas of decarbonisation works that the sector require. The advantages to using our DPSs’ are:
• Contractors and suppliers can join at any time
• Easier for SMEs’/ Micro SMEs to participate
• If leaseholder consultation is required for a project, then the DPS still enables an efficient route to market
• Flexible as the market and technology changes
As well as the four dedicated DPSs’. We offer over 17 route to market DPS solutions that will cover all avenues for social housing.
