Tenant satisfaction has increased, according to PI data released today
Housing Corporation News Release
Embargoed until 9.00am on Wednesday 19 December 2007
19 December 2007 Ref:117 /07
Tenant satisfaction has increased, according to data released today
Overall tenant satisfaction has increased according to the latest key housing association performance indicator (PI) results for March 2007, released by the Housing Corporation today (Wednesday 19 December). However the Housing Corporation has challenged associations to improve performance on tenant involvement, relets and environmental performance over the coming year.
Individual housing association performance indicator (PI) results for March 2007 are now available on the Housing Corporation's PI website www.housingpis.co.uk.
Key improvements benchmarked against last year's data include:
• overall tenant satisfaction has increased by 1% to 80%, with shared ownership satisfaction also increased by 1%;
• satisfaction with routine repairs has also increased. Over three quarters of tenants (76%) are satisfied with their association's repairs and maintenance services, while 94% of routine repairs were completed on target, compared to 93.7% last year. Additionally 10% of associations reduced their repair target times compared to last year; and
• stock failing to meet Decent Home Standard has improved, reducing from 15.5% last year to 13%.
However some other key PIs show average performance has fallen, highlighting areas where housing associations will need to improve over the coming year to better meet Housing Corporation expectations. These include:
• tenant satisfaction with participation has reduced by 1% (from 62% to 61%);
• average Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating has reduced from 68.8 to 68.6; and
• relet time for managed general needs stock increased by one day on average.
Clare Miller, Housing Corporation Director of Regulation, said, "I am delighted to see that these new PIs show that tenant satisfaction is steadily improving. Housing associations of all sizes are to be commended for putting tenants at the heart of their businesses, and for focusing on improvements in vital services, such as routine repairs, which make such a difference to people's daily lives.
"However, we are concerned with the slight falls recorded in key areas such as tenant satisfaction with participation, SAP ratings and relet times. Our new PI data focus on housing associations with over 1,000 stock has confirmed the fact that bigger is not always better for tenants. Yet quality of service and resident perceptions of their landlords are firmly at the heart of our regulatory priorities. Housing associations will need to focus on addressing these issues if they are to better meet the standards we expect in future."
The data is available on the PI website – www.housingpis.co.uk
Ends.
Notes for editors:
1) The PI website - www.housingpis.co.uk - provides a user friendly benchmarking tool, allowing housing associations to compare data and results, as well as providing fast access to performance indicator related information.
2) Two significant changes have been made in the way PIs are produced this year:
• PI information is now provided on housing associations with 1,000 or more homes (rather than the previous 250 homes starting point); and
• Following our consultation in 2006, the Housing Corporation has moved to a reduced but more focused suite of PIs that stress quality of service and capture resident perception of landlord performance. 2007 is the first year of reporting under these new PIs.
3)The Housing Corporation is the Government's national affordable homes agency, responsible for investing in new affordable homes and regulating nearly 2,000 housing associations across England. The Corporation's £8 billion investment programme for 2008-11 is its biggest ever. Its previous investment programme of £3.9 billion for 2006-08 is funding 84,000 homes; 49,000 of these are for affordable rent, and 35,000 are for affordable sale through the Government's HomeBuy initiatives, helping people to get a foot on the property ladder.
4)The Housing Corporation is also responsible for regulating housing associations, which provide some two million homes across England.
5) The Housing Corporation is working with English Partnerships and Communities and Local Government to establish the proposed Homes and Communities Agency and Office for Tenants and Social Landlords.
