The Concrete Floor Problem in Social Housing

How the routine practice of letting homes without floor coverings is shifting cost, risk and harm onto the residents least able to absorb them. 

At a glance 

• An estimated 760,000 adults in social housing have no carpet or flooring in their bedrooms or living areas, accounting for 61 per cent of all those living without flooring in the UK. 

• In a survey of nearly 8,000 social housing tenants, four in five reported moving into a home that was either partially floored or had no floor coverings at all. 

• Only 10 per cent of social landlords provide floor coverings in general needs lettings at the point of let. 

Floor covering provision sits at the intersection of housing standards, resident health and asset management. Yet across England, Scotland and Wales, there is no national requirement for social landlords to provide it, and the practice of letting homes with bare concrete or exposed floorboards remains widespread. 

Research published last year by the Longleigh Foundation, with analysis by Altair, drew on a survey of nearly 8,000 social housing tenants conducted through MRI Software’s Resident Voice Index. It identified that approximately 760,000 adults in social housing live without flooring in their bedrooms or living areas. Among those surveyed, almost half reported moving into a home with no floor coverings at all. 

The issue affects a substantial proportion of the social housing population, not a marginal minority. Its persistence reflects a gap between the sector’s stated commitment to decent homes and the condition in which properties are routinely let.