What Makes a Home Meet the WHQS Standard?
In October 2023, the Welsh Government introduced an updated set of standards for social housing in Wales, known as the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS 2023).
Building on the previous WHQS, these new standards further enhance the quality of affordable social rented housing, ensuring it meets the needs of both current and future residents.
We are committed to ensuring our residents have the opportunity to live in a home that is:
✅ Well-maintained & in good condition.
✅ Safe & secure.
✅ Affordable to heat & environmentally friendly.
✅ Modern & practical, with an up-to-date kitchen.
✅ Comfortable & suitable for your needs.
✅ Outdoor-friendly, ideally with a garden or pleasant outdoor space.
Our goal is to provide homes that are safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient, creating a better living environment for everyone.
Homes must be in a good condition
- Walls must be in good condition and be structurally safe
- Free from damp
Your home must be safe and secure
This includes;
- Doors & windows should be safe and secure
- Fire safety -homes must have heat & smoke detectors – you must also have a safe and easy way to escape if there is a fire.
- Gas & heating safety – homes must have a carbon monoxide detector fitted in the same room as the appliance.
- Homes safety checks –if homes have gas, oil or solid fuel heating, we must do a safety check once a year and provide a copy of the safety certificate to you.
- Electrical safety – your home should have an electrical safety check every 5 years and we will give you a copy of the report.
Your home must have an up to date bathroom
- Bathroom and toilets should be less than 26 years old, unless they are in good condition.
Your home must have an up to date kitchen
- Kitchens should be less than 16 years old, unless they are in good condition.
- New kitchens should have space for a cooker, fridge and washing machine
- Kitchen floors must be non-slip
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Space, power and plumbing for a washing machine (this may be within a communal laundry facility)
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An external drying area (within your garden or communal area)
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A heated cupboard with shelving to air clothes
- Is affordable to heat and have minimal environmental impact
- We must make sure that heating your home does not cost too much money and that it isn’t bad for the environment.
- Your home must let air flow through it so it can be well ventilated in a controlled way, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Your home must be comfortable and suitable for you to live there
- Your home should have enough space to live in comfortably
- Flooring- when new tenants move in, all rooms must have floor covering which is suitable, appropriate and in good condition
- Noise – the design and construction of your home should protect you from ordinary reasonable domestic noise from your neighbour and surroundings.
- We need to make sure a home suits your needs, including disabled and older tenants.
Your home must have a garden if possible
- It isn’t always possible to have a garden, as it depends on where you live.
- But if you do, you should be able to get to your garden safely and easily
- There should be a path for you to access your home.
- There should be a path to a clothesline for you
- We will aim to provide lockable storage space within your garden so you can store bikes, garden equipment furniture etc. If your home doesn’t have a garden, we will look to provide communal storage for these types of belongings.
There should be adequate practical, maintainable and safe community space
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We need to try and create nice outdoor spaces for you to use
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Communal spaces should be wildlife friendl
