A leading trade body is campaigning for a new and regular study of Welsh housing to help keep its politicians better educated on the country’s private rented sector.

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The trade body is urging the Welsh parliament, Senedd, to commission a Welsh Housing Survey that would ‘mirror’ the highly respected English Housing Survey.

The campaign has come into force in light of the Welsh parliament’s intention to pass its fourth Bill affecting the PRS within the last six years. The trade body states that the latest proposed Bill could be passed without any worthwhile or meaningful government commissioned data to support its policy.

The trade body firmly believes that the English Housing Survey which started in 1967,is remarkable for the amount of data and information collected since its inception and that Wales should adopt a similar model in order to increase accountability and comparability between nations.

The call for this type of survey has the backing from the Chartered Institute for Housing, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors and Tai Pawb.

The campaign has already gained support from Homes for All Cymru, an association made up of housing and housing related organisations in Wales, which also includes Crisis and Shelter amongst its members.

A spokesperson for the trade body says: “The fact we have secured the support of a wide range of organisations across Wales demonstrates the consensus that housing professionals and households alike recognise the need for government commissioned, comprehensive data for housing.

“A Welsh Housing Survey would prove good value for money throughout and post-pandemic and will pay dividends in the information it can provide policymakers.

“We hope that these facts will prove to political parties the merits of our proposal and they will adopt it in their manifestos as they aim to form the next Welsh Government next spring.”