In 2021, when Pia Honey extended her home, the builders planned to throw away her old carpets, much to her surprise. The carpets were in excellent condition, and Pia couldn’t bear the thought of being discarded. Instead of letting them go to waste, she listed the carpet on Facebook. What followed was a chain of events that led to the creation of her community interest company, No Floor No More, a project dedicated to providing second-hand carpets to social housing tenants who would otherwise have to live with bare floors.
“All three families who took the carpet were single parents living in social housing with no floor covering,” says Pia, 55. “Each one told me the council had removed the previous carpets before they moved in.”
Pia’s efforts are part of a more extensive campaign to ensure social housing tenants no longer have to live without proper flooring. Her mission has already had a significant impact, providing flooring for over 1,400 properties, and she is determined to keep pushing for systemic change.
Why Are So Many Social Housing Properties Left with Bare Floors?
Pia’s experience reflects a broader issue in the UK’s social housing system: many properties are left with no floor coverings when new tenants move in. A recent survey suggests that three-quarters of new social housing tenancies come with no or only partial flooring. Pia finds “this situation disgusting” and believes it must be changed.
“The lack of flooring is a serious issue,” Pia says. “It’s not just an inconvenience; it’s a problem that affects tenants’ dignity and well-being. When families are given a new home, the most basic thing they should be provided with is flooring.”
Many social housing tenants share Pia’s frustration, including those who have had to live with bare floors for years. The lack of adequate flooring has a profound impact on families, especially those with young children, the elderly, or those with health conditions.
How Does Missing Flooring Affect Social Housing Tenants Emotionally and Practically?
The lack of flooring goes far beyond inconvenience, affecting tenants’ mental and emotional well-being. Many tenants report feeling stigmatized by the lack of proper flooring, leading to various social and psychological challenges.
“We hear some shocking stories,” says a representative from the Longleigh Foundation, a charity supporting social housing tenants. “For example, people are more likely to return to the perpetrators of domestic abuse if where they’ve been rehoused doesn’t feel like a home. We’ve heard of children being embarrassed to bring their friends around to play.”
“Simple things like wearing shoes indoors or not wanting your baby to crawl on the floor can be stigmatizing. It’s emotionally taxing for tenants.”
For many, living without flooring can be a daily struggle. The absence of carpets means cold floors, which are particularly challenging during the winter months. It also impacts health—particularly for children and those with respiratory conditions, as they are exposed to dust and dirt on the bare floors.
What Is No Floor No More, and How Is Pia Helping?
Pia’s frustration with the system led her to start No Floor No More, a company focused on redistributing second-hand carpets to needy families. After collecting flooring from various sources, including conference venues, high-end retailers, and even Warner Brothers’ film sets, Pia began passing on carpets at dramatically discounted prices. The proceeds help cover some of the operation’s costs, primarily funded by Pia herself, using money from the sale of her late mother’s house.
“I didn’t have any more carpet, but I wanted to help,” Pia recalls. “So I started asking around. I reached out to carpet fitters for offcuts. Things just escalated from there, and I started collecting flooring from all over the place.”
Pia tirelessly collects and redistributes large quantities of carpet and lino, splitting her time between her part-time beauty therapy job, caring for her grandchildren, and running her project. “I believe in what I’m doing, so I’m happy to carry it financially for now,” she says.
How Is Pia's Work Impacting the Lives of Social Housing Tenants?
For many families, Pia’s carpets are not just a luxury but a lifeline. Sidony West, a mother of three, is one of the many beneficiaries of No Floor No More. In 2022, she moved into a housing association property in Borehamwood after escaping a violent relationship, but her new home came with bare floors.
“I was told I’d be charged £1,200 if I left the flooring behind,” Sidony says, referring to the lino she had laid in a previous home. “It was immaculate, but they made me dispose of it.”
Like many others in social housing, her new property had no floor coverings. “One of my boys has kidney problems and asthma,” she explains. “Because there was no carpet, it was so cold. I was going into debt to pay our energy bills to keep the children warm.”
Sidony’s situation is far from unique. Many tenants, particularly those with children or health problems, struggle to keep their homes warm without the insulation that proper flooring provides.
Thanks to Pia, Sidony got carpets for her new property’s three bedrooms, hallway, and stairs. “It was such an incredible feeling,” Sidony says. “After the carpet fitter left, we kept running up and down the stairs, looking at our new carpets.”
Why Is It Wrong to Rip Up Good Carpets in Social Housing?
Neal Wylde, another social housing tenant from Norfolk, echoes Sidony’s frustration. When he moved into his property 13 years ago, the floors were bare concrete. “I use a wheelchair, and the dust from the concrete left tire tracks everywhere. It was awful leaving the wet bathroom floor and returning to the corridor. It was cold and depressing. It didn’t feel like home; we were squatting.”
Neal’s housing association, Orbit, says it only removes carpets as a “last resort” if they cannot be “cleaned or damaged beyond repair.” However, when removed, Neal points out that his floor was in good condition.
“Why are they ripping up excellent carpets and putting them in landfill?” Neal asks. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Neal, who struggled with bare concrete floors for years, has seen firsthand how vital proper flooring is. “The neighbors wanted to come round and say hello, but we didn’t want to let them in,” he recalls. “Christmas that year was bleak and lonely.”
Is There a Change in Policy on Flooring for Social Housing?
There has been progress on this issue in Wales. Following a campaign from the tenant engagement group TPAS Cymru, a new law will come into effect in April 2024, requiring all social landlords in Wales to provide “suitable and quality flooring throughout the whole of the home” in all new social housing lettings.
Other campaigners, including Pia and Aileen Edmunds, are pushing for similar changes across the rest of the UK. “If, as a landlord, you can’t afford to put flooring in as standard practice, please just stop ripping perfectly decent flooring out,” says Aileen. “Give the next tenant a choice.”
Pia’s work continues to change lives, one carpet at a time. For her, it’s not just about providing a practical solution; it’s about restoring dignity to those who need it most. “Everyone deserves to feel like they belong in their home,” Pia says. “And that starts with something as simple as having a floor to walk on.”
