Analysis of tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) reveals overall satisfaction has fallen 15 percentage points in five years
Housemark’s analysis of social landlords’ tenant satisfaction measures (TSM) reveals a decrease in overall satisfaction from 85.1% in 2018-19 to 69.4% in 2023-24, a drop of over 15 percentage points.
Overall, satisfaction rates were 72.9% for housing associations and 65.7% for local authorities.
The research also found that only 5.6% of local authority landlords are reporting compliance with the Decent Homes Standard, whereas compliance among housing associations was 41.3%.
Housemark’s research reveals that during the past year, a median of only 33.8% of tenants were satisfied with their landlord’s handling of complaints, marking a 15.2% decrease from 2022-23.
The data indicates a 14.9% increase in average volumes of stage one complaints between 2022-23 and 2023-24. The report suggests that this may indicate a shift in complaint-handling, with landlords increasingly formalising complaint records in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s code.
The results cover the first year of tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs), which came into force on 1 April 2023 as part of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act.
They include responses from 221 landlords in England, comprising 118 housing associations and 103 local authorities.
The data is collected through tenant perception surveys and landlord data. The tenant perception surveys cover tenants’ satisfaction with repairs, building safety, safety checks, respectful and helpful engagement, complaint-handling and neighbourhood management.
>> See also: Sector could face £220m rent arrears spike due to benefit payment period ‘mismatch’, Housemark warns
>> See also: More than half of social landlords missing 100% gas safety compliance target, Housemark survey finds
Social landlords must submit their TSM data by the end of this month, with publication by the regulator scheduled for autumn.
Jonathan Cox, director of data and business intelligence at Housemark, said: “While some of the headlines in these results are concerning, it’s important to recognise that meaningful improvements in operational services, particularly repairs, typically take around 18 months to reflect in tenant perceptions.
“This means that efforts initiated now will start showing results in the 2025-26 TSM data. It’s a reminder that sustained effort is crucial for long-term change.”
A full copy of Housemark’s report on TSMs can be requested here.
No comments yet