Welsh Housing Quality Standard
The Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) was introduced in 2002 and was created to ensure that all social housing meets a common standard regardless of who the landlord is.
The standard aims to ensure that all homes are:
- In a good state of repair
- Safe and secure
- Adequately heated, fuel efficient and well insulated
- Contain up to date kitchens and bathrooms
- Located in attractive and safe environments
- As far as possible suit the specific requirements of the household (e.g. specific disabilities)
Newydd’s compliance as at the 31st March 2023 is as follows:
| Criteria | % of stock currently compliant |
| Roofs and associated components | 100% |
| Windows | 100% |
| External doors | 100% |
| Kitchens | 100% |
| Bathrooms | 100% |
| Energy rating (SAP ≥ 65) | 100% |
| Central heating systems | 100% |
| Electrical systems | 100% |
| Mains powered smoke detectors | 100% |
| Gardens and external storage up to and including the boundary of the property | 100% |
| All components | 100% |
Newydd does however have a number of acceptable failures within its housing stock for certain WHQS criteria.
An acceptable fail is defined by the Welsh Government as an area of the property that is not compliant with WHQS for one of the following reasons:
Resident choice – Newydd will apply this type of acceptable failure where and when requested by a tenant e.g. a tenant has refused to have a kitchen replaced which is required to comply with WHQS.
Timing of remedy – Newydd will consider applying this type of acceptable failure to a component where a property is subject to major investment in the short term or the current tenant is currently applying for a physical adaptation grant that will directly affect the component being considered. e.g. the current bathroom requires an over bath shower to be fitted but the tenant is currently applying to have a disabled shower suite fitted via the Physical Adaptation Grant process. It would not be an effective use of resources to install the shower to the existing bathroom only to replace it with a new disabled shower suite shortly afterwards.
Cost of remedy – Newydd will apply this type of acceptable failure to a component where the work would represent a significant investment to the gross annual cost of the component type and jeopardises the ability to invest in line with Newydd’s projected annual investment levels e.g. a kitchen is currently too small to accommodate all of the required kitchen units but a wall can be removed to create a larger kitchen. Such works are not deemed cost effective as this would then jeopardise Newydd’s ability to carry out other works to other properties.
Physical constraint - Newydd will apply this type of acceptable failure where and when it is considered impractical to meet the component requirement, due to size and space limitations, conservation area restrictions or individual medical requirements e.g. a kitchen is too small to accommodate the right amount of cupboards and the kitchen cannot be made any bigger without impeding upon other areas of the property.
Currently Newydd has the following number of acceptable fails within its housing stock (note that some properties have more than one type of acceptable fail present):
| Acceptable fail type | Total present within the housing stock |
| Resident choice | 152 |
| Timing of remedy | 516 |
| Cost of remedy | 192 |
| Physical constraint | 246 |
| All acceptable fails | 1106 |
