Campaigners calling for a housing association to halt its policy of pulling up perfectly good carpets from properties prior to occupancy have claimed victory after a change of heart.

ACORN Campaigners met with representatives from LiveWest last week to change the flooring policy for their tenants in Cornwall which saw some left without adequate flooring as a result.

The policy change, which has been the focus of a month’s-long campaign by ACORN organizers, came after union members met with representatives of LiveWest at their headquarters in Camborne.

ACORN had previously taken direct action against LiveWest in December of last year, when ten activists staged a sit-in at the same location to call attention to LiveWest's practice of removing carpets in their properties at the end of a tenancy, which often left the incoming tenant with no choice but to replace the flooring at their expense, or to go without carpets entirely.

After meeting with ACORN members, LiveWest agreed to pilot a scheme in Cornwall whereby all carpets could be retained at the end of a tenancy.

In keeping with ACORN’s demands, the scheme also ended fines for tenants who failed to remove their carpets, and includes clearer communication with LiveWest tenants and staff as to the new flooring policy - the final decision on whether or not to retain carpets will be based on genuine health and safety concerns, and will no longer be at the sole discretion of LiveWest staff.

ACORN also won compensation for their member Sarah, a LiveWest tenant who spent over £1,000 replacing flooring, part of which the housing association later agreed Sarah should not have had to pay for.

ACORN Falmouth and Penryn Secretary Dan said: “It's great that we're fighting this together… without ACORN, Sarah would be fighting this on her own, individually. But when we come together as tenants and as members, we can achieve a lot more.”

James Reseigh, Director of Neighbours for LiveWest, told the Packet: “Our focus is to always deliver the best customer service we can and listen to and act on any concerns our customers might have.

“We recognise the significant costs incurred when someone moves into a new home and will always seek ways to reduce any financial impact on our customers.

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“We had a constructive conversation with the Acorn Group and whilst our policy is not to remove carpets in empty homes when they are in good condition, we accept there may be more we can do to ensure we embrace the lifetime of carpets and further support the environment.

“As long as the carpets do not cause a risk for the incoming customer, the existing carpets are to be enjoyed.

“We agreed to pilot an updated approach in Cornwall where carpets will be left unless there is a clear safety risk, or the incoming customer has asked us to remove it.

“We are also updating guidance to colleagues so that removing carpets becomes an exception.

“Our customer group, InFocus, who were involved in the meeting with Acorn, will monitor the pilot and share outcomes.

“We also spoke to the Acorn Group about the support LiveWest offers through our Tenancy Sustainment team and our investment of more than £800,000 per year which is targeted at customers in financial hardship.”