Beauflor® manufactures affordable, durable and easy to maintain sheet vinyl floors that can help landlords, associations and other providers of social housing to ensure tenants benefit from the wellbeing advantages of floor coverings.
There is a growing amount of research that highlights the benefits on tenant wellbeing through the provision of floor coverings within social housing, and in the case of the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS), this has forced regulatory change. WHQS now demands that social housing should have suitable floor coverings at change of tenancy.
Whether this will become the case in England and Scotland where regulations place no such standards on flooring remains to be seen. But social housing landlords looking to provide their tenants with a safe home that supports their wellbeing could do well to follow the model for all projects, regardless of location.
Currently, it’s estimated that around 80% of social homes are rented to tenants without floor coverings. Landlords are often concerned with the health and safety issues that may arise from leaving carpets in place (carpets account for 50% of all social housing floors). However with many tenants not having the capability to fund new floors, they often end up struggling with debt through loans or living on bare floors for months or years throughout their tenancy.
With sheet vinyl flooring there is an opportunity to provide tenants with floor coverings without having to replace them at tenancy voids, saving cost while also providing tenants with a standard of home that increases well-being and minimises ill health. In addition, providing flooring can reduce the chance of loneliness and isolation as tenants will feel proud to have people to visit their home.
Made in Belgium, Beauflor sheet vinyl flooring offers an affordable and attractive finish across a wide range of popular natural looks with benefits that include easy installation, durability and low maintenance.
In many domestic rooms Beauflor sheet vinyl floor can be laid without glue, cutting down on material costs and time. The benefits of fast installation are made even more apparent in floors that feature a textile backing, such as the Blacktex collection. These can be installed loose lay in areas up to 35m2 over a range of substrates, including tile and timber floors, making them a good choice for refurbishment.
For a floor to last across tenancies it must be durable and easy to maintain and sheet vinyl can deliver on both of these: Beauflor’s most durable specification, Xtreme is suitable for heavy commercial use, and with a Premium Coating low maintenance finish, it is resistant to scratches and stains, as well as easy to maintain using water and mild detergent. Because of the sheet format, there are also no joints for the build-up of dirt to occur. Importantly, Beauflor sheet vinyl floors are also 100% water-resistant and will not swell or become damaged because of prolonged exposure to water.
The low slip nature of Beauflor sheet vinyl floors is particularly important where reduced mobility needs to be considered. Providing a surer feeling underfoot, while also allowing the easy passage of wheelchairs thanks to the smooth finish, R10 finishes are available for domestic and public use. Many collections are also equipped with an anti-bacterial and anti-mould treatment that makes them more hygienic and which can alleviate health and safety concerns.
Providing sheet vinyl flooring can help to improve affordability for the tenant and research also shows that properties with a void standard that includes flooring will stay empty for less time, see a lower refusal rate and tenants are more likely to stay longer. Also, if people take pride in their homes, they are more likely to pay their rent.
For social landlords looking to improve the standards of social housing, Beauflor sheet vinyl floors provide a comfortable, warm and quiet social housing floor for tenants while meeting the need for a low-cost flooring option that is durable in use and easy to install.
For more information, visit https://www.beauflor.com/gb/en/social-housing