Anti-poverty campaigners are urging housing associations to end the practice of removing carpets from social housing when tenants vacate properties, because they are often not replaced fast enough.

The BBC reported that approximately 1.2 million individuals in the UK lack carpet or flooring in their bedrooms and living areas. Housing associations have a practice of tearing up carpets between tenants without promptly replacing them, leaving many with bare floors.

The National Centre for Social Research found that the majority of those affected, approximately 760,000 individuals, reside in social housing. Hygiene is cited as the main reason why most social landlords remove flooring when tenants vacate a property.

Currently, UK law mandates landlords to provide flooring only in kitchens and bathrooms. However, campaign group End Furniture Poverty is calling for this requirement to extend to all areas of the house. The group is urging housing associations to inspect existing flooring and reuse it whenever possible.

In response, some social housing providers are taking action. For example, Thirteen Group Housing Association in Middlesbrough guarantees flooring for every tenant and has observed positive results. By leaving existing carpets and flooring in place, the association has saved £1.5m annually, which is reinvested into the properties when they are let out again. Additionally, various charities are working to address the issue, including ACTS 435, a church-based donation site that has secured funding for flooring in bedrooms and living rooms for numerous individuals in need.