The updated Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) 2023 was published in April 2024, according to the Welsh Government's overview page for the standard1. The update contains material changes to the version published in October 2023, in the form of two new appendices: full guidance on balancing carbon emissions across a housing portfolio, at pages 56 to 59, and full guidance on whole stock assessments and the Target Energy Pathway, at pages 60 to 671.
The standard applies to homes owned by housing associations and local authorities in Wales. The Welsh Government states that all social housing must be maintained and kept in good condition, and that housing associations and local authorities with social rented homes are responsible for meeting and maintaining homes to the standard1. The standard, the government says, "sets new targets to address decarbonisation and water efficiency"1.
To meet WHQS 2023, homes must be in a good state of repair; safe and secure; affordable to heat and have minimal environmental impact; fitted with an up-to-date kitchen and utility area; fitted with an up-to-date bathroom; comfortable and promote wellbeing; and have a suitable garden and attractive outside space1. An easy read version accompanies the updated standard for tenants1.
The Welsh Government also notes that Welsh Ministers propose to specify a rule or rules on how social landlords respond to damp, mould and other hazards. Any such rules may be issued as an addendum to WHQS 2023 once consultation is complete and the rules are finalised, and once set they will need to be met to comply with the standard1. No date for that consultation or for the rules has been reported1.
Two funds are administered to help landlords with their stock: the major repairs allowance and dowry gap funding. For 2025 to 2026, the major repairs allowance goes to the 11 local authorities that continue to manage and maintain social housing1:
| Local authority | Major repairs allowance, 2025 to 2026 |
|---|---|
| Caerphilly | £7,300,000 |
| Cardiff | £9,570,000 |
| Carmarthenshire | £6,200,000 |
| Denbighshire | £2,370,000 |
| Flintshire | £4,980,000 |
| Isle of Anglesey | £2,690,000 |
| Pembrokeshire | £4,000,000 |
| Powys | £3,720,000 |
| Swansea | £9,280,000 |
| Vale of Glamorgan | £2,770,000 |
| Wrexham | £7,520,000 |
Dowry gap funding for 2025 to 2026 goes to 10 housing associations formed when local authorities transferred their social housing responsibility to them: Trivallis (formerly RCT Homes) £7,300,000; Newport City Homes £6,500,000; Tai Tarian (formerly NPT Homes) £6,200,000; Bron Afon Community Housing £5,800,000; Tai Calon £4,200,000; Adra (formerly Cartrefi Cymunedol Gwynedd) £4,100,000; Merthyr Valleys Homes £2,900,000; Cartrefi Conwy £2,600,000; Monmouthshire Housing Association £2,600,000; and Barcud £1,600,0001.
Why it matters for households
For tenants in social housing, the standard is the framework their landlord is measured against, and the April 2024 update shifts part of that framework towards how a landlord's whole stock performs on carbon and energy, rather than only the condition of individual homes1. The requirement that homes be affordable to heat and have minimal environmental impact sits alongside the physical conditions, so a home's running costs and its fabric are both part of what compliance means1.
The two new appendices matter because they describe how landlords assess emissions across a portfolio and set a Target Energy Pathway for the stock as a whole1. That is a stock-level exercise, and the published overview does not set out what it means for any individual dwelling, nor any timetable for works reaching tenants1. The proposed rules on damp, mould and other hazards are not yet in force; the government says they would need to be met once set1.
What happens next
The Welsh Government says the proposed rule or rules on damp, mould and other hazards may be issued as an addendum to WHQS 2023 once any required consultation is complete and the rules are finalised1. No date for that consultation has been reported1. The overview page carrying this information was last updated on 8 October 20251.