Social housing providers could save £880m by operating more efficiently, says Housemark

Social housing providers could unlock £880m in financial headroom to reinvest in homes and services by improving efficiency and maximising value in their organisations, according to Housemark.

The benchmarking organisation said there are “large variations” in cost per unit across the sector, with some landlords successfully delivering high satisfaction at a lower cost than others.

Housemark said in a statement it will be publishing a report, yet to be shared with Housing Today,  which will show the highest-cost landlords are spending significantly more per unit than their lower-cost peers, without a corresponding increase in service quality.

It has estimated that if all social landlords operated at the top-quartile efficiency levels, based on analysis of organisations that have received the top ‘C1’ consumer regulation grade, then the sector could reinvest £880m back into stock improvements and new developments. A total of 14 landlords have received the top ‘C1’ grade to date.

Housemark said its report will recommend landlords prioritise smarter service delivery models, better use of technology, more transparent performance reporting and the embedding of “data-drive efficiency” in business decisions.

Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “Now is the time for social landlords to unlock further capacity and improve financial performance, despite economic headwinds. By focusing on efficiency, service quality, and investment-readiness, the sector can build resilience and deliver better outcomes for tenants and communities.”