Residents living in 'freezing’ pre-fab homes say they're 'always ill' and bills are 'through the roof'

Residents have been waiting two years for work to upgrade their 'hard-to-heat' homes

Residents in one part of Cardiff are still waiting for improvements to their ‘hard to heat’ homes, exactly two years after a major investment was announced. Cardiff Council has confirmed they are yet to confirm a start date for the work.

The properties are known as British Iron and Steel Federation properties because they are steel-framed, prefabricated houses, which have been classed as ‘hard to heat’ and ‘hard to treat’ in the suburb of Llandaff North. This mean they are poor to insulate meaning high bills for residents.

One resident who lives in Aberporth Road in Llandaff North, said the temperature of home is detrimental to her health.

"I suffer with fibromyalgia; my son suffers with Raynaud's. We need to keep warm. My property is freezing. So, we are always ill," she said.

“I’m just wrapped up all the time with fleeces in my living room."

She said her gas and electric bills reach over £200 a month, and that her property suffers from damp and black mould.

“I’ve complained and I’ve complained, and I’ve complained to the council. Each time I keep getting told- it's the funding,” she said.

Rachel Gibbs-Massay, who has lived in a BISF property on Aberdulais Road in Llandaff North for more than 20 years, said her gas bill is “through the roof”.

“Keeping my house warm in the winter is really hard. As soon as you turn the heating off, the heat’s gone again, because it just goes out of the walls, out of the doors, everywhere,” she said.

“In the summer, it’s the opposite, it’s too hot, because there’s no flow. It’s either too hot or too cold.

“They’ve told me they’ll insulate every year, and then they haven’t got the funding.”

In 2023, Cardiff Council announced plans for an energy efficiency retrofit scheme that would upgrade more than 250 BISF homes across Llandaff North and Rumney, to improve thermal efficiency and lower energy costs. Never miss a Cardiff story by signing up to our daily newsletter here

More than £7 million was assigned to the proposed upgrades, which would have seen external wall insulation installed on both council and privately-owned BISF homes in the areas.

The work to improve the Rumney properties has started, but no start date for the Llandaff North work has been confirmed.

Dan, another Aberdulais Road resident, said his BISF property “quite drastically” loses heat.

“We had a modern central heating system fitted in October last year with a smart thermostat,” he said.

“What we discovered during the winter is that, during periods where the outside temperature does not exceed 5-10c, the house would not maintain a constant temperature above 16c.

“This meant the thermostat preset temperature was never met. And, if not careful, the heating would be on all day. Needless to say, the last two winters have not been cheap.”

A council spokesperson said: “We remain committed to carrying out the improvement works in Llandaff North, as soon as funding becomes available.

“Unfortunately, at present, it is not possible to confirm a start date.”

A Facebook post was put out in error by Llandaff North Labour on April 1, 2025, suggesting that retrofitting work would commence on the properties next month.

“We understand and share the disappointment of the residents in Llandaff North regarding the recent update on the retrofitting of BISF homes,” a spokesperson from Cardiff Council said.

“Unfortunately, due to an officer error, incorrect information was provided to local councillors about the start date of the retrofitting work.

“We sincerely apologise for any confusion and frustration this may have caused.”

Dilwar Ali, a Llandaff North Labour councillor, said: “I have been assured that the Council remains committed to completing the improvement works to the BISF properties in Llandaff North, once the properties in Rumney have been completed and subject to appropriate funding being available.

"I will continue to press for the improvement works to the Llandaff North properties to be carried out as soon as possible."