WHQS improvement scheme

We will be spending over £220 million bringing all council owned homes up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) by 2020.

What is the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS)?

The WHQS is a set of standards that all council and housing association homes in Wales must meet.  The standard states that all homes should be

• in a good state of repair
• safe and secure
• adequately heated
• up to date in kitchens and bathrooms
• well managed
• in attractive and safe environments
• suitable for specific households

What improvements will be carried out to tenants’ homes?

Internal works could include new kitchens, bathrooms, heating and electrical rewiring in some homes. External works could include, for example, new doors, windows, guttering/downpipes and reroofing to some homes.

The work will vary from property to property - with some needing more work than others to bring them up to WHQS. A full survey will be carried out at your home to find out what work is needed.

An environmental improvement programme is also being delivered as part of WHQS which looks at areas outside the curtilage of council homes.  Click here for more information on the WHQS environmental programme.

See the difference being made to tenants’ homes and local communities as a result of our Welsh Housing Quality Standard programme.

When will improvements be carried out?

The document below shows the financial year that work will be done in each area.

WHQS timetable (PDF)

How is the work being funded?

Each year we set an annual budget for improvement works.  This is funded by a combination of council house rent income and borrowed money (prudential borrowing).  Caerphilly County Borough Council also receives a Major Repairs Allowance from Welsh Government; in 2020/21 we received £7,304,000 which contributed to WHQS programme.

What if the money runs out before work is carried out on my property?

Every council owned property in the county borough must achieve WHQS by the 2020 deadline.  Our commitment and promise to you is that all your homes will achieve the standard by then.

Feedback from Wales Audit Office service user review

In 2018 Wales Audit Office carried out an independent review of the council’s Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme.  As part of this review, they completed a number of telephone interviews with tenants and leaseholders.
 
Click here for an overview of the results of the telephone surveys.