TPAS Cymru Public Statement Response to Welsh Government Consultation on Welsh Language Standards for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) 2025

Introduction

This public statement is a general reflection of the consultation questions proposed in the Welsh Government Consultation for Registered Social Landlords (2025).

TPAS Cymru is the tenant and community voice for housing in Wales. For more than 35 years, we have worked with tenants, landlords, and Welsh Government to strengthen participation and ensure tenants are central to housing services and policy.

While we have chosen not to directly respond to the consultation currently, it is important we acknowledge the proposed changes. The Welsh language is not only a means of communication but also a vital part of Wales’ cultural, social and political identity. We believe housing policy, given its wide reach and daily impact, presents a real opportunity to strengthen and promote the use of Welsh. The rapid expansion of digital services in housing, including (but not limited to): tenant portals, apps, social media communication channels, AI chatbots and repair-logging systems, offers a significant opportunity to reinforce the use of Welsh.

At TPAS Cymru, we fully support and advocate for all Welsh-speaking tenants to engage with their landlords and service providers in Welsh, should they choose to do so. As an organisation, we are staffed by a bilingual team, fluent in both Welsh and English, to ensure we can communicate effectively with all our members in the language of their choice. We encourage Local Authorities, already subject to the Welsh Language Standards, to continue delivering services in Welsh, and have urged RSLs who are not yet subject to the standards to adopt bilingual practices voluntarily, ensuring parity of service in both Welsh and English.

We welcome the move to formalise this expectation for all members of the public to engage with RSL’s through the medium of Welsh (as outlined in Section 3.5) through legislation. Strong institutional support and consistent bilingual practice are essential if we are to normalise the use of Welsh in housing, and in turn, make it a natural and visible part of tenants’ everyday lives.

Key Messages

1. Tenant Experience Comes First

For tenants, the right to use Welsh with their landlord is about choice, respect and equal access. Housing services are most effective when they reflect and respond to the lived experience of tenants. This means:

• Ensuring all communications, particularly around core policies such as social rent, are available bilingually
• Embedding bilingualism across tenant engagement activities, including online and in-person
• Making digital and written materials equally accessible in Welsh and English, including online chatbots

Any weakening of bilingual visibility risks undermining the language, whilst a strong, consistent offer can build confidence and encourage use.

2. Proportionality and Flexibility

The sector is diverse. Demand for Welsh services varies by geography and community, as does the availability of Welsh-speaking staff. We support a proportionate approach that ensures tenants everywhere have access to services in Welsh without imposing unnecessary costs that could divert resources from housing services.

Embedding bilingual digital services, such as tenant portals, apps, AI chatbots and other channels, are essential to normalise everyday use of Welsh, particularly given the vast expansion of the digital world. However, to avoid turning this into a token ‘tick-box’ exercise, we must anticipate and mitigate the risk of Welsh speakers receiving inferior communications, especially when relying on thinly resourced digital translation tools. To counteract this, supporting Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) with clear guidance and sufficient resources is key.

Adopting phased implementation and pragmatic updates will enhance effectiveness and sustainability, ensure that Welsh services match their English counterparts in standards and minimise errors before full launch.

We deem the listed exemptions proposed in Section 3.16 of the draft, which include repair and maintenance visits and in situations where there is a potential risk to life, as reasonable.

3. Support for Delivery

RSLs cannot achieve this transformation alone. To deliver these standards well, landlords need Welsh Government support through:

• free and accessible Welsh language training for housing staff,
• practical guidance and tools for compliance, and
• funding for translation, IT and digital development.

This support is crucial to ensure that embedding the Welsh language does not come at the expense of frontline housing services during a time of acute housing pressure.

4. Linking to Social Rent Policy

We also see an opportunity for the pending changes to Social Rent Policy, as proposed in the recent consultation ‘A New Rent and Service Charge Standard for Wales’ (2025) and these proposed Welsh Language Standards, to align.  As we have stated before, a strong commitment to bilingualism in rent policy would:

• Ensure parity of service in both Welsh and English
• Increase the visibility and normalisation of Welsh in tenant communications
• Support Cymraeg 2050 objectives by embedding Welsh in everyday housing contexts

By explicitly linking rent policy communications and tenant engagement with Welsh language duties, government and landlords together can set a higher baseline for cultural and linguistic inclusion in housing.

The Bigger Picture

These proposals have the potential to significantly increase opportunities to use the Welsh language and to ensure that it is not treated less favourably than English. By embedding bilingual requirements across correspondence (3.8), digital platforms and tenant engagement, the standards can normalise Welsh and give tenants real choice.

However, without support and proportionality, there is a risk that stretched RSLs will struggle to deliver consistently, which could frustrate tenants and weaken trust. To mitigate this, we recommend:

• Phased and proportionate implementation
• Tenant involvement in shaping local delivery
• Government-funded training and resources
• Clear guidance on the scope and interpretation of standards
• Collaboration across the sector to mitigate capacity constraints, including both of human and financial resources.

We have also consulted with Community Housing Cymru on the proposed changes and look forward to potentially exploring future opportunities for collaboration with them in this area to offer support or signposting. We encourage and welcome cross-sector collaboration with our members and other stakeholders.

Conclusion

TPAS Cymru strongly supports the principle of Welsh Language Standards for RSLs. Tenants should be able to engage confidently with their landlord in Welsh and housing organisations should be supported to provide this offer consistently and sustainably.

We urge Welsh Government to ensure that the regulations are tenant-focused, proportionate and backed by proper support, so they can both strengthen the Welsh language and enable RSLs to continue their essential work of providing safe, affordable homes in diverse communities across Wales.

This is a chance to go beyond compliance. These proposals present the opportunity to firmly embed the Welsh language in digital and written communications within housing for tenants, both those who are fluent Welsh speakers and for Welsh language learners.

While they do pose several challenges, with the right support, these standards can empower tenants, strengthen communities and make the Welsh language a natural part of everyday housing life.