Row of houses with red doors and white Profix windows

Wednesday’s announcement that an additional £2billion in funds is going to be made available to build more social and affordable housing made great headline news for our industry in general. There is a renowned national shortfall in housing, particularly in the level of affordable homes available to rent or buy. Social rent is genuinely more affordable for those on a lower income, but the rapid fall in houses being built or acquired for social rent has meant the total number of extra homes categorised as “affordable” has been on a downward trend. It is interesting that councils will be encouraged to engage in providing certainty over future rent levels and thus, hopefully play a larger role in turning this around.

This additional funding sounds very positive, but there are still questions over how many years this really covers and at a micro-level how regionally, communities are affected by the potential spend. Another point of consideration: at any one point in time 5% of UK social housing stock isn’t lived in. Would it perhaps it would be better to focus on voids and refurbishment of the existing stock?

Profix has been supplying windows and doors to the social housing for a number of years – for new build, refurbishment and responsive works. Our experience, backed up by a cost-effective product range and outstanding #onecall service, has made us a go-to for many local authorities and housebuilders and we’ve been involved with a few initiatives that have seen great improvements in living accommodation in and around Birmingham. Getting the job done on time and within budget is key in this sector, and will be even more prevalent as councils, housing authorities and housebuilders push this spend forward.

Whatever the long-term outcome of Wednesday’s announcement, it is important that this money is spent wisely with experienced and cost-effective suppliers. We all need to take advantage of the positives and ensure that our solutions fit the bill.

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