Carpetless housing 'driving renters to food banks'

By law, only kitchens and bathrooms must be supplied with floor coverings

Social housing tenants in Cornwall are being forced to use food banks because they have pay to carpet homes when they move in, a campaign highlighting the issue says.

Keep Cornwall Carpeted, a campaign run by Transformation Cornwall, said the issue was widespread among 33,000 local social housing properties.

Sam Williams, from Transformation Cornwall, said carpets and flooring were often often pulled up at the end of tenancies, exposing floorboards or concrete, and leaving the next tenant to pay hundreds or thousands of pounds for re-carpeting.

One social housing provider said it had taken up flooring for hygiene reasons between tenants, but now only did so if there was a major health risk.

Liveable rooms

Mr Williams said the situation was "one of the most surprising things" he discovered in his role.

He added that those who could not afford to pay for carpet had to live with higher heating costs because of "poorly insulated" concrete floors or floorboards.

Only kitchens and bathrooms need to have "sufficient floor coverings" by law, but Mr Williams said the group believed renters in Cornwall should have the same rights as their peers in other parts of the UK.

He said Wales has recently introduced new standards which meant all "liveable rooms" needed carpet or other flooring.

He said: "This isn't a pie in the sky idea.

"It's actually happening in other parts of the UK and we feel that it should be happening in Cornwall."

'Half my savings'

One man told the BBC he spent half his savings getting new carpet when he moved into his first rented accommodation.

Zach Elphick, 21, said his new flat had concrete floors covered in "very thick dust" when he viewed it, but, as a first-time renter, he "didn't realise just how much" carpet would cost.

He spent more than £1,000 - half of his savings - carpeting the property and spent four months "on rations" while he paid off the debt.

Mr Elphick said: "What bothers me most is the fact that, if I ever did move out of this place, I just know it would be torn out.

"Because I've spent all that money on getting it all sorted, I'd like to think the next person can have it."

Standard practice

James Reseigh, from Live West, one of the county's 14 social housing providers, said the organisation had followed "standard practice" in the sector of removing carpets and other flooring "mainly for hygiene reasons" until the start of this year.

However, he said it had now changed its approach following pressure from a community action group from Penryn called Acorn.

He said carpets were now only removed if there was "an absolute health and safety risk".

About 65% of properties were now coming with carpets, he said.