The Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has published its inaugural analysis of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) for the social housing sector in the UK.
This initiative, which came into effect on April 1, 2023, aims to gauge the performance of social landlords and ensure they are meeting the standards set by the Consumer Standards.
Report Findings
The TSMs are composed of 22 measures, divided into 12 tenant perception measures and 10 management information metrics. These measures assess various aspects of social housing services, including repairs, building safety, complaint handling, and tenant engagement.
For instance, tenant perception measures cover satisfaction with overall services, the safety of homes, and the landlord’s approach to handling complaints and anti-social behaviour.
The Implementation of Tenant Satisfaction Measures
The introduction of TSMs is expected to have a profound impact on the social housing sector. By providing a standardized framework for measuring satisfaction, tenants can now hold their landlords to account more effectively.
The data collected will help identify areas of improvement, such as complaint handling, which has shown consistently low satisfaction rates across different providers.
For example, Sovereign Network Group reported only 12.3% satisfaction with their approach to handling complaints, while similar low scores were observed in other regions.
Focus Areas
- Repairs and Maintenance: The TSMs highlight the need for improved repair services, with average satisfaction rates ranging from 40% to 50% across different providers.
- Building Safety: The measures emphasize the importance of maintaining safe homes, with high satisfaction rates observed in this area, such as 64.6% for Sovereign Network Group.
- Tenant Engagement: There is a clear need for better engagement, as satisfaction with landlords listening to and acting on tenant views remains low, around 26% to 28%.
- Complaint Handling: This area has been identified as a significant concern, with satisfaction rates as low as 12.3% to 23.5%.
Next Steps
The RSH will continue to collect and analyze TSM data annually, with the next set of results expected for the 2024-2025 period.
To enhance the accuracy and relevance of these measures, social housing providers are collaborating with external research companies, such as Kwest Research, to conduct surveys and gather tenant feedback.
As the RSH expands its powers from April 2024 to include routine inspections of social housing landlords, the importance of these measures will only grow.
This increased scrutiny is designed to ensure that landlords are not only meeting the prescribed standards but also continuously improving their services to better serve their tenants.
Moving Forward
As the sector moves forward, these measures will be crucial in driving improvements and ensuring that social housing meets the high standards expected by both tenants and regulators.
Sources: THX News & Regulator of Social Housing.
