New report: England’s first consumer standards inspections.

Consumer standards research conducted by Housemark has revealed significant challenges within England’s social housing sector. The housing data specialist is urging housing providers to take action to enhance service delivery, tenant satisfaction, and asset management performance. Their report, titled ‘Raising the Bar’, highlights obstacles hindering sector progress as the industry grapples with strengthened regulations.

Housemark analysed the first 23 consumer standards inspections by the Regulator of Social Housing and combined the findings with their own data. Out of the inspections, 15 received compliant grades (C1 and C2), while eight were deemed non-compliant (C3) requiring improvement.

Key themes for improvement identified by Housemark include record-keeping, safety compliance, and the utilization of IT systems for data analysis. Issues such as data quality for assets and tenants, as well as reporting systems, were highlighted as areas needing attention.

The report also sheds light on the complexity of asset management, exacerbated by financial constraints. Despite efforts to address problems like damp and mould, one in five cases resurface within a year, indicating that current remediation works are not addressing the root causes effectively.

Furthermore, it is estimated that up to one million tenant complaints have gone unrecorded in the past year, significantly more than the number reported by landlords. This discrepancy underscores the urgent need for transparent and efficient complaint-handling systems, especially as providers adapt to the new Housing Ombudsman Service Complaints Code.

In anticipation of the upcoming Decent Homes Standard 2 (DHS2), the report warns of a potential decline in compliance rates. Drawing on experiences in Scotland where stricter decency standards were introduced in 2020, it is predicted that nearly 600,000 properties in England may fail to meet the new standards within the first year.

Jonathan Cox, Chief Data Officer at Housemark, emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making in addressing these challenges. He noted the time it takes for service improvements to impact satisfaction metrics, highlighting the need for accurate data and proactive engagement to prevent crises.

“Housing providers must act swiftly to meet the new regulatory standards and deliver a positive tenant experience,” Cox stated. “Our analysis has shown that it takes about 18 months to see improvements in satisfaction metrics. Accurate data and proactive engagement are vital in identifying and resolving issues before they escalate.”

As the sector grapples with these new demands, the report offers valuable insights on enhancing safety measures, improving tenant engagement, and strengthening data management practices.

Some key findings from Housemark’s consumer standards report include:

  • Only one in three residents (33.8%) expressed satisfaction with how their landlord handles complaints, marking the lowest Tenant Satisfaction Measure.
  • 76.3% of tenants reported being treated fairly and respectfully by their landlords.
  • Three in ten landlords saw an improvement in their satisfaction scores in 2023/24, with nearly half of them engaging Housemark consultancy services for assistance.
  • Landlords who improved satisfaction scores focused on areas such as data quality, deriving insights from data, and implementing action plans to enhance satisfaction levels.
  • Over half of the landlords attained full compliance for four out of the five building safety measures in 2023/24.
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