Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 CaH 20 08 24 complete
Renfrewshire Council · 20 August 2024
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 20 August 2024 and its agenda
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities & Housing Policy Board On: 20 August 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Scottish Housing Regulator requires local authority landlords and RSLs to carry out a Tenant Satisfaction Survey at least once every three years. The SHR sets out standard questions which must be asked of tenants to gauge satisfaction. The purpose of this report is to advise the Policy Board of the outcomes from the 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey. 1.2 To meet this requirement, we carry out a Tenant Satisfaction Survey every two years. The survey for 2024 was carried out between March and May 2024. The report is attached at Appendix 1. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board: 2.1 Note the contents of this report and any actions arising from it. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The aim of the survey was to find out tenants’ views on the services that Renfrewshire Council provides as a landlord, and how well these services are carried out. Additionally, the survey asks tenants to identify areas where the service can be improved. In particular, the survey focused on the following: • The quality of information provided by the Council; • Feedback on customer care; • Quality of accommodation and the neighbourhood;
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• Service provision including repairs, maintenance and improvements; • Tenant involvement/opportunities for participation; • Value for money of rents; and • Service priorities. It is against this background that Research Resource were commissioned to carry out Renfrewshire Council’s 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey. 3.2 The survey was conducted by an independent market research firm - ‘Research Resource’ - by telephone, covering just over 1,200 households, representing around 11% of the Council’s tenanted stock. 3.3 The survey questionnaire was based on six key questions developed by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) to assist in evaluating performance against core Charter indicators and outcomes. The answers are categorised into five possible responses: • Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied, Dissatisfied and Very Dissatisfied. It should be noted that for the purpose of reporting the percentage satisfied, the ‘Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied’ responses are counted as dissatisfied in line with SHR guidance and this can significantly drive down apparent satisfaction levels. The impact of this is demonstrated in this report. 3.4 The full survey is appended at Appendix 1 of this report. It provides independent information on our tenants’ views in relation to: • Their own homes, neighbourhoods and general environment; • Services provided, and how these could be improved; • Value for money; and • How we communicate with them and how they prefer to receive information. 4. Survey findings and actions 4.1 The six key Charter Indicators for Renfrewshire Council for 2024 show satisfaction levels remaining high at 70% or above. Whilst satisfaction levels remain high, there has been a decrease in levels since the last survey in 2022. It is noted that this is against a backdrop of particularly challenging times for social landlords and difficult economic circumstances for many of our tenants. In addition, data sourced from Scotland’s Housing Network’s Annual Return on the Charter: Performance Overview (June 2024) notes that there has been a decline in satisfaction generally throughout the Scottish local authority housing sector. Also of note is that in the instances where some authorities have seen improvement, in the main these improvements have been marginal, whereas where authorities have seen decreases in satisfaction these have been significant.
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4.2 Overall satisfaction The majority of respondents (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the overall service provided by Renfrewshire Council as a landlord. Although this has declined by 10% points from the survey carried out in 2022, the satisfaction figure has been influenced by those tenants who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied, as this rose sharply from 5% in 2022 to 11% in 2024. Of the 17% who stated they were dissatisfied with the service, the main issues reported were: • Inaction and waiting too long for repairs to be completed; • The standard of the property and general maintenance of the buildings; • Issues with the neighbourhood or environment; and • Customer service. Satisfaction levels varied across Renfrewshire, and analysis by area revealed Ferguslie Park respondents reported the highest levels of satisfaction (86%) while Johnstone Castle respondents were least likely to be satisfied (63%). Whilst the overall majority of tenants are satisfied with the service provided, further analysis will be undertaken to understand the shift to Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied, with a view to improving overall satisfaction rates. 4.3 Moving into your home Just under three quarters (72%) of the tenants who had moved into their current home within the last five years were very or fairly satisfied with the condition of their home when they moved in and when asked if they were happy with the type of house they currently have, the majority of respondents stated yes (81%). 4.4 Complaints The survey asks tenants if they had made a complaint in the past year, what it was about and how it was dealt with. Almost 90% of respondents had not made a complaint to the Council and of the small number who had (139 from 1,216), 69 were regarding repairs and 34 related to anti-social neighbours. Around 79% of respondents commented that it was easy it was to make a complaint. 4.5 Repairs The survey asks wide ranging questions on the repairs service. All respondents were asked generally how satisfied they are with the way Renfrewshire Council as their landlord deals with repairs and maintenance. The majority of respondents (73%) were very or fairly satisfied in this respect. This satisfaction survey asks tenants if they have had a repair over the year, whereas our own repairs survey for the ARC return uses a point of service survey and takes responses from a higher number of tenants. Based on that survey, our figure for repairs satisfaction in the ARC return was 76.7%.
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Satisfaction with various aspects of the repairs service remains very high, including 94% of respondents saying it was easy to report a repair and being satisfied with the attitude of workers (94%). With regards to appointments, 91% of respondents stated they were offered a suitable appointment time for their repair, with almost all (97%) stating the appointment was kept. 4.6 Communication and participation Three out of four tenants (75%) felt their landlord was very or fairly good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions. The 2022 survey had a satisfaction rate of 91%. Similarly to Indicator 1 there was a marked rise in the number of tenants who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied from 4% in 2022 to 11% in 2024 which has therefore affected the overall satisfaction figure. The survey highlighted differences by area on how tenants felt the Council kept them informed, ranging from 86% satisfaction in Ferguslie Park to 66% in Glenburn. Similarly, more older tenants (84% of those over 75) believed that the Council was good at keeping them informed than younger tenants (70% of those aged 35 - 54). Most tenants said they would prefer to be consulted by telephone (33%) or letter (54%), which remains consistent with the feedback from the previous two surveys. Satisfaction with the opportunities to participate was 84% which is above the local authority average of 77%, albeit down from 99% in 2022. Notwithstanding this, we now offer a wider range of opportunities to engage with us and contribute to consultation than ever before. This indicator has seen the largest shift in those who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied from 0.7% in the 2022 survey to 12% in this year’s survey. 4.7 Contact with the Housing Service As with consultation and participation, most tenants would prefer to use the telephone to get in touch with their landlord (88%) and this was also the method tenants prefer their landlord to use when it needed to get in touch with them. Of those who responded the most common reason to contact the Council, other than paying rent, was to report a repair (73%). Of tenants who had contact with the Council within the last 12 months, 80% said they found staff to be helpful.
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4.8 Your home The majority of tenants (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of their home, although this is down from previous survey (80%). Again, there was a high percentage of tenants who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied - 15% compared to 8% in the 2022 survey. From the 13% of tenants who said they were dissatisfied the main reasons for dissatisfaction with the condition of the home were: • Properties needing upgrades and improvements; • Outstanding repairs; and • The general quality of the buildings. The report notes that satisfaction with the quality of the home is lower among younger tenants (at 63% satisfaction) and similarly tenants who had lived in their home longer (between 3 to 10 years) were also more dissatisfied. One factor that may have contributed to the level of dissatisfaction was that most respondents (87%) said they had not had any major improvements carried out to their home over the last two years, which reflects the challenging environment in the construction sector and the resultant delays in recommencing some of our programmes of capital investment works. However, it is encouraging to note that where improvements had been carried out, satisfaction levels were very high at 88%, which is an improvement on the 2022 result when 83% were satisfied. Within this section of the survey, tenants of high-rise properties are specifically asked for their views and just over 1 in 10 tenants (12%) who took part said they lived in a multi storey property. Tenants who lived in multi storey properties and who received a concierge or caretaker service were asked for their opinions on the service. Satisfaction levels here remained very high with 85% of respondents saying the block was clean and 95% saying that caretakers or concierge staff were easy to contact. 4.9 Neighbourhood management Tenants were asked to rate how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with their landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in and the majority of tenants (75%) were very or fairly satisfied in this respect. This indicator has seen a 12% reduction in satisfaction from the last survey in 2022. Again, there were many tenants who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied at 13.5% compared to 5.6% in 2022. As members will be aware, environmental management remains a priority for improvement with increased investment and resources directed to this area. This includes additional investment in the maintenance of open spaces within our estates, as well as the establishment of a new post of Housing Estate Manager for Council Housing reporting directly to the Area Housing Manager to strengthen local estate management.
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This new post has lead responsibility for the provision of the housing estate management service, building links with council tenants within communities and strengthening local connections between and across teams through working collaboratively with colleagues across all service areas for the benefit of council tenants. It is also of note that satisfaction levels vary greatly between neighbourhoods, from 95% satisfaction in Ferguslie Park to 67% in Johnstone and Villages. The most common reasons given for dissatisfaction were: • The area is run down; • Poor garden maintenance; and • Anti-social behaviour. An early example of the action being taken by the Housing Estate Manager to improve environmental management is the Estate Management Pilot within the Moorpark Area, where an action plan for environmental improvements has been created in collaboration with colleagues across services in Housing Services; Neighbourhood Services, Waste and Fleet; and Roads. This Pilot will inform how services can improve environmental and estate management within communities, with a view to this approach then being rolled out on a phased basis. The service is aware that sometimes issues which are outwith the council’s responsibility can impact residents’ view of their neighbourhood – for example garden maintenance within mixed tenure blocks. The complexity of issues in relation to estate management have been included in a recent review of Neighbourhood Disputes which was reported to the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board in May this year – officers from Housing Services contributed to this review. This report sets out plans to hold a workshop with all key services and departments in order to take a collective approach with a focus on estate management, to highlight approaches and opportunities for early intervention in order to prevent escalation. Officers from Housing Services will participate in this workshop and the findings will be reported in the ongoing Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Policy Board review. The survey also asked tenants an open question relating to the best things about living in their neighbourhood. The responses to this were very positive and the top four responses were: • The areas are quiet/peaceful/feel safe: • Good neighbours/friendly people/community spirit; • Close to local amenities/good amenities: and • Nice area/pleasant views/well maintained/happy with neighbourhood. Tenants were also asked a further open question on what they perceive to be the greatest problems or issues in their neighbourhood. Of note, more than a third of tenants (38%) did not believe there were any problems or issues in their neighbourhood.
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4.10 Rents and benefits Seven in ten respondents (70%) were of the opinion their rent represents very or fairly good value for money. Although satisfaction with this indicator has reduced from 83% it has also seen a very large shift in those who responded Neither Satisfied Nor Dissatisfied from 7% in 2022 to 18% in 2024. The 12% of respondents who felt the rent they paid was not good value for money were asked to explain why they had said that. The main reasons were that rents were too expensive, dissatisfaction with rent increases or dissatisfaction with the quality of the home. This response is not unexpected in the context of the last few years when both tenants and social landlords have been facing some of the most challenging economic times. The cost-of-living crisis continues to cause hardship for many social housing tenants, whilst landlords are also facing increasing costs to deliver their core services whilst investing in maintaining and improving their homes. However, it remains the case that our average rental charge is lower than that of other social housing providers in Renfrewshire. 4.11 Service Improvements and Priorities All respondents were asked an open question regarding what they thought the best thing about the Housing Services that Renfrewshire Council provides. The top three comments were: • Repairs service e.g. prompt/quality of workmanship; • Customer service e.g. staff helpful/friendly; and • The overall service is good/good landlord. Tenants were then given the opportunity to provide an open response to the parts of the housing service of Renfrewshire Council that could be improved upon. The most popular response was that nothing needed to be improved (25%) and a further 18% answered ‘don’t know’ to this question. Where a suggestion was provided, this was most likely to be in relation to improving the repairs service (14%) and upgrading homes (11%). 5. Next steps and customer engagement 5.1 The survey provides a lot of useful information which will help inform both ongoing and future service improvements and the report notes tenant feedback split by age, length of stay and disability which will help inform service design to ensure it meets the needs of our diverse customer base. Through our Tenant Participation Strategy, we will increase awareness of how tenants can influence service improvement, we will work closely with tenants on estate management issues through Neighbourhood Services and will aim to improve satisfaction rates with the quality of the home as we progress the ongoing investment programme.
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5.2 Although most tenants felt happy with the management of their neighbourhood, we will use feedback to prioritise and resource neighbourhood management, both in terms of matters such as anti-social behaviour and the physical environment. We will continue to work with tenants in line with our Tenant Participation Strategy through focus groups/lived experience panels to examine the detail of the survey to address specific issues impacting our tenants. 5.3 Linked to improved engagement and consultation, a new corporate engagement policy is being designed, led by the Head of Marketing and Communications, to provide best practice guidance on engagement and consultation practice and to improve consistency in approach across services. The Housing Service will contribute to the development of that policy and will be able to draw on this in the design of future engagement activity. In addition, a new annual citizen survey will be introduced by Marketing and Communications later this year, to provide further insight into resident perceptions and impact of local services. The Housing Service will continue to further build and develop its day-to-day communication channels with tenants to ensure information is relevant and of use, easily understood and easy to access. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is thriving – Meeting the needs of housing applicants • Building strong, safe and resilient communities – Creating strong communities in our approach to allocating homes 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets – None 6. Information Technology – None 7. Equality & Human Rights – Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website.
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8. Health & Safety – None 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk – None 11. Privacy Impact – None 12. COSLA Policy Position – None 13. Children’s Rights – None 14. Climate Change – None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Ray Walkinshaw, Housing Regeneration and Development Manager Email: ray.walkinshaw@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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A Appendix 1 Cert No. 0501 036 Prepared by: Prepared for: Research Resource Renfrewshire Council Contact: Lorna Shaw Contact: Paul McLean Tel: 0141 641 6410 E-mail: Lorna.shaw@researchresource.co.uk Tel: 0141 618 6264 E-mail: paul.mclean@renfrewshire.gov.uk Renfrewshire Council Tenant Satisfaction Survey June 2024
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2 Report written by: Rosemary Stafford Date: 13/06/2024 Reviewed by: Elaine MacKinnon/ Lorna Shaw Date: 13/06/2024
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3 Renfrewshire Council Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 Contents 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 5 2. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 9 2.1. Introduction and background ............................................................................................. 9 2.2. Background and objectives ................................................................................................ 9 2.3. Research method ............................................................................................................... 10 2.4. Questionnaire design .......................................................................................................... 10 2.5. Sample size .......................................................................................................................... 11 2.6. Interviewing and quality control ........................................................................................ 12 2.7. Survey Analysis and Reporting ........................................................................................... 13 2.8. Report Structure .................................................................................................................. 13 3. OVERALL SATISFACTION .............................................................................................................. 14 3.1. Satisfaction with Renfrewshire Council as a landlord (Q1) .............................................. 14 4. MOVING INTO YOUR HOME ....................................................................................................... 17 4.1. Length of tenancy (Q2) ...................................................................................................... 17 4.2. Satisfaction with condition of new home (Q3) ................................................................. 18 4.3. Satisfaction with current type of house (Q4) .................................................................... 19 4.4. Number of rooms (Q5/6) .................................................................................................... 20 5. COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATION ................................................................................... 21 5.1. Keeping tenants informed (Q7) ......................................................................................... 21 5.2. Tenant Participation Opportunities (Q8) ........................................................................... 23 5.3. Satisfaction with opportunities for participation (Q11/12) ............................................... 24 6. CONTACT WITH COMMUNITIES, HOUSING AND PLANNING SERVICES .................................... 26 6.1. Contacting the Council (Q13/14) ..................................................................................... 26 6.2. Internet use (Q15) ............................................................................................................... 27 6.3. Accessing the Council website for housing services information (Q16-18) .................... 28 6.4. My Account (Q19) .............................................................................................................. 29 6.5. Contacting the Council about a housing matter (Q20-23) ............................................ 30 7. COMPLAINTS ............................................................................................................................... 32 7.1. Nature of complaint (Q24/25) ........................................................................................... 32
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4 7.2. Satisfaction with aspects of the complaints process (Q26/27) ....................................... 33 8. THE REPAIRS SERVICE ................................................................................................................... 36 8.1. General satisfaction with repairs and maintenance (Q28/29) ....................................... 36 8.2. Satisfaction with aspects of the repairs service (Q30-33) ................................................ 39 9. YOUR HOME ................................................................................................................................ 43 9.1. Overall satisfaction with quality of the home (Q34/35) ................................................... 43 9.2. Major works carried out (Q36-39) ...................................................................................... 45 9.3. Satisfaction with aspects of the home (Q40) ................................................................... 46 9.4. Multi-storey blocks (Q41) .................................................................................................... 47 10. NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT ........................................................................................ 48 10.1. Landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood (Q42/43) ............ 48 10.2. Best thing about the neighbourhood (Q44) ..................................................................... 51 10.3. Greatest problems or issues in the neighbourhood (Q45) ............................................... 52 11. RENT AND BENEFITS .................................................................................................................. 53 11.1. Value for money (Q46/47) ................................................................................................. 53 11.2. Housing benefit and Universal Credit (Q48) ..................................................................... 56 11.3. Financial advice and support (Q49/50) ............................................................................ 56 12. SERVICE PRIORITIES AND IMPROVEMENTS ............................................................................. 58 12.1. Best aspect of service provided (Q51) .............................................................................. 58 12.2. Service improvement (Q52) ............................................................................................... 59 13. HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 60 13.1. Tenant or partner (Q54) ...................................................................................................... 60 13.2. Age and gender (Q55/56) ................................................................................................. 60 13.3. Household composition (Q57) ........................................................................................... 60 13.4. Disability status (Q58/59) .................................................................................................... 61 13.5. Ethnicity (Q60) ..................................................................................................................... 61 APPENDIX 1: Survey Questionnaire APPENDIX 2: Technical Report Summary
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5 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Research Resource was commissioned by Renfrewshire Council to undertake their 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey. The aim of the research was to seek tenants’ views on the services that Renfrewshire Council provides as a landlord, how well it performs these services and to help identify areas where the service can be improved. A total of 1,223 interviews were carried out with tenants using a telephone methodology. 1,223 interviews provide data accurate to +2.64% (based upon a 50% estimate at the 95% confidence interval). Interviews were spread across all areas of Renfrewshire Council’s stock. CHARTER INDICATORS The table below shows the results for the Scottish Housing Regulator indicators for Renfrewshire Council for 2024 compared with the 2020 and 2022 results and the Scottish average for Local Authorities for the year 2022/23. As can be seen below, satisfaction levels have decreased for all indicators. The biggest decreases can be seen regarding keeping tenants informed (satisfaction decreased by 16 percentage points) and in terms of participation opportunities (decreased by 15 percentage points). Renfrewshire Council Housing Service is performing below the Scottish average for all but one indicator (satisfaction with participation opportunities). Scottish Social Housing Charter Indicators [2018/2020/2022 TSS and LA Scottish Average comparison] 2020 2022 2024 LA Scottish Average 2022/23 1 - Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the overall service provided by your landlord? (% very/ fairly satisfied) 89% 82% 72% 83% 2 - How good or poor do you feel your landlord is at keeping you informed about their services and decisions? (% very/ fairly good) 88% 91% 75% 81% 5 - How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities given to you to participate in your landlord’s decision making processes? (% very/fairly satisfied) 94% 99% 84% 77% 7 - Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of your home? (% very/fairly satisfied) 86% 80% 72% 82% 13 - Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord's contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in? (% very/fairly satisfied) 85% 87% 75% 82% 25 - Taking into account the accommodation and the services your landlord provides, do you think the rent for this property represents good or poor value for money? Is is….? (% very/ fairly good) 78% 83% 70% 82%
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6 KEY FINDINGS The key findings of Renfrewshire Council’s 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey are as follows: OVERALL SATISFACTION The majority of respondents (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the overall service provided by Renfrewshire Council as a landlord. MOVING INTO YOUR HOME Just under three quarters (72%) of the tenants who had moved into their current home within the last five years were very or fairly satisfied with the condition of their home when they moved in. All respondents were then asked if they were happy with the type of house they currently have. The majority of respondents stated yes (81%). More than 8 in 10 respondents felt they had about the right number of rooms in their home (83%). COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATION Three out of four tenants (75%) felt their landlord was very or fairly good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions. Renfrewshire Council’s Housing service uses a range of different methods to contact and consult with tenants. The methods tenants would prefer Renfrewshire Council Housing Service to use to consult with them about issues that may affect them were by letter (54%), via telephone call (33%) or by email or SMS text message. Over 8 in 10 respondents (84%) were very or fairly satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision-making processes. CONTACT WITH HOUSING SERVICES The majority of tenants would prefer to use the telephone to get in touch with their landlord (88%), this was also the method tenants prefer their landlord to use when they need to get in touch with them (68%). More than half of tenants (56%) stated they access the internet via a home Wi-Fi, while 38% connect to the internet via a mobile phone. Just over a third of tenants said they did not use the internet and less than 1% access the internet at a public building such as a library. Over half of tenants who used the internet (54%) said they visit the Council website Renfrewshire.gov.uk to find out more information about housing services and of these tenants, 51% said they were looking for information on repairs and 43% had a rent enquiry. All respondents were asked if they would be interested in using ‘My Account’, the Council’s online customer account which allows access to Council services online 24
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7 hours a day. Just under 7 in 10 tenants (68%) stated they were already registered and a further 5% said they would be interested in using ‘My Account’. Just over 6 in 10 respondents (61%) had been in contact with the Council about a housing or housing related matter in the last 12 months with a query other than to pay their rent. Tenants were most likely to have contacted the Council about a repair (73%). Of tenants who had contact with the Council within the last 12 months, 80% said they found staff to be helpful. COMPLAINTS More than 1 in 10 respondents (11%) stated they had complained to Housing Services in the last 12 months. The majority of complaints were regarding repairs (50%) or anti-social neighbours (25%). Satisfaction with service-based complaints was mixed, ranging from 35% with regards to the speed with which the complaint was dealt with to 79% with regards to how easy it was to make the complaint. Just over 1 in 4 respondents (27%) who made a service- based complaint were very or fairly satisfied with the way their complaint was handled by the Council. Satisfaction with anti-social complaints was also mixed, ranging from 35% with regards to the speed with which the complaint was dealt with to 79% with regards to how easy it was to make the complaint.. Just under 4 in 10 tenants (35%) who made an anti-social complaint were very or fairly satisfied with the way their complaint was handled by the Council. REPAIRS All respondents were asked generally, how satisfied they are with the way Renfrewshire Council as their landlord deals with repairs and maintenance. The majority of respondents (73%) were very or fairly satisfied in this respect. Half of respondents (50%) stated they had repairs carried out in their property within the last 12 months. Respondents who had had a repair carried out in their property within the last 12 months were then asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with various aspects of the repairs service. Satisfaction was high, ranging from 77% with regards to the repair being done ‘right first time’ to 94% with regards the ease of reporting repairs and the attitude of workers (94%). The majority of tenants (75%) who had a repair carried out in the last 12 months said the worker or tradesperson showed proof of their identity. With regards to appointments, 91% of respondents stated they were offered a suitable appointment time for their repair, with almost all (97%) stating the appointment was kept.
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8 YOUR HOME The majority of tenants (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of their home. More than one in ten respondents (13%) stated that they had major improvements carried out over the last two years. The most common major improvements were new bathrooms (4% of all respondents). The majority of tenants (88%) who have had major improvements carried out in their home within the last two years were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of work. Tenants were then asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with various aspects of their home. Satisfaction levels ranged from 85% with regards to the cleanliness of the block to 95% in terms of caretakers or concierge staff being easy to contact. NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT Tenants were asked to rate how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with their landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in. 75% of tenants were very or fairly satisfied in this respect. Tenants were most likely to say the best thing about their neighbourhood is that it is quiet and peaceful (42%) followed by there being good neighbours and friendly people (39%). These were also the most common responses provided in 2022. Tenants were then asked what they perceive to be the greatest problems or issues in their neighbourhood. More than a third of tenants (38%) did not believe there were any problems or issues in their neighbourhood. Where tenants did believe an issue to be present, this was most likely in relation to anti-social behaviour/ anti-social neighbours (19%). RENT AND BENEFITS Seven in ten respondents (70%) were of the opinion their rent represents very or fairly good value for money. Just under half of respondents (47%) were in receipt of full housing benefit, 7% were in receipt of partial housing benefit, 17% received Universal Credit, 25% said they did not receive any housing benefit and 3% were unsure. The majority of respondents (97%) stated that they did not require any help with maintaining rent payments. Just under 1 in 5 respondents (18%) said they have spoken to Renfrewshire Council Housing staff about money advice. Of these respondents, 87% found the advice and assistance very or slightly helpful.
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9 2. INTRODUCTION, BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY 2.1. Introduction and background This report represents and discusses the findings to emerge from Renfrewshire Council’s Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024. 2.2. Background and objectives The aim of the research was to seek tenants’ views on the services that Renfrewshire Council provides as a landlord, how well it performs these services and to help identify areas where the service can be improved. Specifically, the research was designed to provide customers views on the following: The quality of information provided by the Council; Feedback on customer care; Quality of accommodation and the neighbourhood; Service provision including repairs, maintenance and improvements; Tenant involvement/ opportunities for participation; Value for money for rent; Service priorities. It is against this background that Research Resource were commissioned to carry out Renfrewshire Council’s 2024 Tenant Satisfaction Survey.
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10 2.3. Research method We note that the guidance on surveying tenants and service users prepared on behalf of the Regulator debates the use of a range of different methodologies for carrying out the survey, including postal, online, telephone and face to face survey methods. However, given the requirement to a robust level of data and ensuring representative samples of tenants, it was decided that the tenant survey was carried out utilising an interviewer led telephone methodology which is the method that has been used for Renfrewshire Council’s previous tenant satisfaction surveys. An interviewer led methodology provides a high quality and positive response to the research, whilst still allowing control over the representativeness of the survey sample. Our primary reasons for recommending an interviewer led methodology were: Administering the survey utilising an interviewer led methodology allows us to maximise the response rate. The proposed methodology is an inclusive methodology and allows interviewers to ensure that, for example, elderly or those with a disability or literacy problems can be included in the process. It also lets us identify any potential barriers to participation which can be raised and addressed in partnership with the Council. Facilitates high quality of survey output as it allows the interviewer to build up a rapport with the participant ensuring that the questionnaire is answered in full and allowing explanation of the necessity for asking personal data. Telephone methodology provides similar benefits as face-to-face interviews in terms of survey completion, response rates and quality, however, at a lower cost. Given the geographical spread of tenants this method was the most practical and cost- effective option for delivery of the research. 2.4. Questionnaire design After consultation with Renfrewshire Council’s representatives, a survey questionnaire was agreed which fully met the information needs and requirements of the organisation and included all issues of importance for tenants. In developing the questionnaire, the following issues were considered: The information needs listed in the survey brief; The Scottish Social Housing Charter indicators upon which Renfrewshire Council is required to report; Research Resource experience in relation to customer satisfaction surveying. A copy of the questionnaire can be found in Appendix 1 of this report.
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11 2.5. Sample size The aim of the survey was to achieve a robust level of data upon which the Council can have confidence making decisions upon. Overall, a total of 1,223 interviews were achieved with tenants from an overall population of 10,931 tenants, providing data accurate to +2.64% (based upon the 95% confidence level and a 50% estimate). A representative sample of the Council’s tenants was drawn from which it was sought to achieve the targeted 1,200 interviews. The sample was spread across each area of the Council’s stock to ensure coverage of all house types and sizes. The guidance from the Scottish Housing Regulator states that in all surveys, particularly postal surveys, some groups are more likely than others to respond. This means that certain subgroups will be under-represented, and others will be over-represented in the final achieved sample (i.e. all the people who responded). Weighting ensures that received responses are representative of the whole survey population. The guidance suggests that social landlords will be likely to have suitable information on the population in terms of dwelling type (flats, semi- detached house, detached, terraces) and the number of bedrooms. The following tables show the sample profile broken down by area, property type and property size compared to the population. As can be seen below, the interview profile is relatively in line with the overall tenant population profile, varying by no more than 7% points with regard to Gallowhill being slightly over-represented and Johnstone and Villages being underrepresented. Furthermore, own door flats are also slightly overrepresented . We are comfortable however, that the coverage of the tenant population is sufficiently close that weighting of survey data is not required. The data reported is therefore unweighted. Area No. of tenants % of tenants No. of interviews % of interviews FERGUSLIE PARK 308 3% 58 5% FOXBAR 901 8% 102 8% GALLOWHILL 1058 10% 206 17% GLENBURN 851 8% 87 7% J'STONE & VILL 2440 22% 180 15% J'STONE CASTLE 656 6% 46 4% PAISLEY 3062 28% 382 31% RENFREW 1655 15% 161 13% Grand Total 10931 100% 1222 100%
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12 Bed Size No. of tenants % of tenants No. of interviews % of interviews 0 335 3% 22 2% 1 3164 29% 382 31% 2 5265 48% 595 49% 3 1959 18% 192 16% 4 205 2% 31 3% 5 2 0% 0 0% 7 1 0% 0 0% Grand Total 10931 100% 1222 100% House type No. of tenants % of tenants No. of interviews % of interviews Amenity Flat 15 0% 0 0% Deck access Flat 231 2% 17 1% Deck access Maisonette 219 2% 28 2% Detached Bungalow 21 0% 4 0% Detached House 2 0% 0 0% End terrace Bungalow 117 1% 11 1% End terrace House 660 6% 52 4% Mid terrace Bungalow 99 1% 10 1% Mid terrace House 993 9% 93 8% Multi-storey Flat 956 9% 129 11% Own Door Flat 2526 23% 362 30% Permanent Prefab 15 0% 1 0% Semi-detached Bungalow 119 1% 15 1% Semi-detached House 640 6% 55 5% Tenement Flat 3907 36% 408 33% Walk Up Flat 336 3% 34 3% Walk Up Maisonette 75 1% 3 0% Grand Total 10931 100% 1222 100% 2.6. Interviewing and quality control All interviewing was undertaken by Research Resource’s highly trained and experienced interviewers’, all of whom are highly experienced in undertaking tenant satisfaction surveys for Housing Associations and Local Authorities. Interviewing took place between the 11th of April and the 23rd of May 2024.
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13 2.7. Survey Analysis and Reporting Survey data has been analysed and reported on in a number of ways. Data has been analysed by area and key variables as agreed by the organisation. Where any particular trends or issues are found for any one key group, this is detailed in the survey report. Where relevant, data has been compared to the Council’s 2020 and 2022 tenant satisfaction survey results with significant changes in satisfaction highlighted in the report. Please note that not all percentages sum to 100% due to rounding. 2.8. Report Structure This document details the key findings to emerge from the survey for Renfrewshire Council. Chapter 3. OVERALL SATISFACTION Chapter 4. MOVING INTO YOUR HOME Chapter 5. COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATION Chapter 6. CONTACT WITH COMMUNITIES, HOUSING AND PLANNING SERVICES Chapter 7. COMPLAINTS Chapter 8. THE REPAIRS SERVICE Chapter 9. YOUR HOME Chapter 10. NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT Chapter 11. RENT AND BENEFITS Chapter 12. SERVICE PRIORITIES AND IMPROVEMENTS Chapter 13. HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE APPENDIX 2: TECHNICAL REPORT SUMMARY
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14 3. OVERALL SATISFACTION 3.1. Satisfaction with Renfrewshire Council as a landlord (Q1) The survey opened by asking tenants how satisfied they were with the Council as their landlord. The majority of respondents (72%) were very or fairly satisfied in this respect, a decrease from the 89% reported in 2020 and 82% in 2022. Renfrewshire Council is performing in line with the ARC 2022/2023 Local Authority average (83%) with regards to overall satisfaction. Analysis by area reveals Ferguslie Park respondents reported the highest levels of satisfaction (86%) while Johnstone Castle respondents were least likely to be satisfied (both 63%). Q1 Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the overall service provided by Renfrewshire Council as your landlord? [Analysed by office] PAISLEY FERGUSLIE PARK J'STONE & VILL GLENBURN RENFREW FOXBAR GALLOWHILL J'STONE CASTLE Base 382 58 180 87 161 102 206 46 Very satisfied 35.6% 19.0% 25.0% 20.7% 20.5% 21.6% 36.9% 37.0% Fairly satisfied 36.1% 67.2% 42.2% 49.4% 44.7% 52.9% 42.7% 26.1% Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 11.0% 5.2% 16.7% 11.5% 10.6% 15.7% 9.2% 8.7% Fairly dissatisfied 7.1% 3.4% 10.0% 6.9% 12.4% 2.9% 4.9% 13.0% Very dissatisfied 9.9% 5.2% 6.1% 11.5% 11.8% 5.9% 5.8% 15.2% No opinion 0.3% - - - - 1.0% 0.5% - % Satisfied 72% 86% 67% 70% 65% 75% 80% 63%
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15 Further analysis reveals that the results to this question vary significantly in terms of: Length of stay: Those who lived in their home for less than 2 years were most likely to be satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord (80%). Age: Tenants aged 75 and over were more likely to be satisfied with the overall service (79%) than tenants aged 35-54 (69%). Disability: Those who had a disability were less likely to be satisfied with the overall service (69%) than those who did not have a disability (79%).
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16 Respondents who were not satisfied with the overall service provided by Renfrewshire Council as their landlord were then asked to explain why they felt this way. Respondents were most likely to state this was due to a lack of action from the Council after reporting repairs or complaints (24%) or due to being dissatisfied with the repairs service (22%). Q1a If not satisfied, can you explain why? Base: Not satisfied with overall service, n=339 No. % Inaction from the Council after reporting repairs, complaints etc. 82 24.2% Poor repairs service e.g. too long to be completed 73 21.5% Issues with dampness/ mould/ water damage/ leaks 49 14.5% Poor customer service 49 14.5% Property needs upgrades 40 11.8% Lack of area maintenance 37 10.9% Anti-social behaviour issues 35 10.3% Poor maintenance of properties 13 3.8% Poor quality of the home 12 3.5% Rent increases/ too expensive 12 3.5% Waiting to move property 12 3.5% Issues with pests 7 2.1% Other 5 1.5% Don't know/ not used them 10 2.9%
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17 4. MOVING INTO YOUR HOME 4.1. Length of tenancy (Q2) Respondents were asked to specify how long they had been a tenant of Renfrewshire Council. This revealed 20% had been Council tenants for 2 years or less, 38% for between 3 and 10 years and 42% for more than 11 years. The results to this question have not changed significantly compared to the 2022 results. Those who lived in Ferguslie Park and in Gallowhill had the highest proportion of respondents who were new tenants of 2 years or less (both 24%) while Johnstone Castle had the lowest proportion of new tenants (13%). Over half of respondents who lived in Glenburn (51%) and in Johnstone Castle (57%) had been tenants for 11 or more years compared to just 35% of Ferguslie Park tenants. Q2 How long have you/ your household been a Renfrewshire Council tenant? [Analysed by office] PAISLEY FERGUSLIE PARK J'STONE & VILL GLENBURN RENFREW FOXBAR GALLOWHILL J'STONE CASTLE Base 382 58 180 87 161 102 206 46 Under 1 year 9.7% 17.2% 6.7% 5.7% 11.2% 9.8% 10.7% 2.2% 1-2 years 11.8% 6.9% 8.9% 16.1% 8.7% 5.9% 13.1% 10.9% 3-5 years 16.0% 22.4% 12.8% 13.8% 18.0% 18.6% 17.0% 15.2% 6-10 years 21.2% 19.0% 31.1% 13.8% 18.0% 24.5% 19.9% 13.0% 11-20 years 22.0% 13.8% 16.7% 25.3% 24.2% 21.6% 21.4% 26.1% 21+ years 18.6% 20.7% 23.9% 25.3% 19.9% 17.6% 16.5% 30.4% Don’t know/ can’t remember 0.8% - - - - 2.0% 1.5% 2.2%
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18 4.2. Satisfaction with condition of new home (Q3) Tenants who stated they have moved into their current home within the last five years were then asked how satisfied they were with its condition when they moved in. Just under three quarters of respondents (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the condition of their home when they moved in, 10% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 18% were very or fairly dissatisfied. The proportion of respondents who were either very or fairly satisfied is consistent with the 2022 survey result (73%) and less than was reported in 2020 (77%). Those who were not satisfied with the condition of their home when they moved in were asked to explain why this was. Respondents were most likely to state this was due to their home being in a poor condition (35%) or where there were outstanding repairs needing done (30%). Q3a If dissatisfied, why were you not satisfied with the condition of your home when you moved in? Base: Not satisfied with home when moved in, n=125 No. % Home in poor condition/ quality/ run down 44 35.2% Outstanding repairs/ work needing done 38 30.4% Problems with damp/ water damage 21 16.8% Property was dirty 15 12.0% Décor was poor/ a lot of decoration was required 12 9.6% Upgrades required to property 9 7.2% Nothing in it/ unfurnished 6 4.8% Other 6 4.8%
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19 4.3. Satisfaction with current type of house (Q4) All respondents were then asked if they were happy with the type of house they currently have. The majority of respondents stated yes (81%) while 18% stated no. The proportion of respondents who were not happy with their type of house has increased from 13% in 2020 and in 2022 to 18% in 2024. Those who were not happy with the type of house they currently have were asked to explain why this was. Tenants were most likely to state this was due to the property being too small (24%) and where they were unhappy with the condition of their home (21%). Q4a Are you happy with the type of house you currently have? If no (why is that?) Base: Not happy with home when moved in, n=219 No. % Property is too small 53 24.2% Property is in poor condition/ needs upgrades or repairs 45 20.5% Would like different property type e.g. move from a flat to a house 37 16.9% Require ground floor/ level access 35 16.0% Anti-social neighbours 19 8.7% Property is too big 16 7.3% Need medical adaptations i.e. walk in shower 8 3.7% Would like a property with a garden 2 0.9% Would like sheltered accommodation/ need supported accommodation 1 0.5% Other 23 10.5%
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20 4.4. Number of rooms (Q5/6) More than 8 in 10 respondents (83%) felt they had about the right number of rooms in their home, while 12% felt they had too few and 5% felt they had too many. These results are consistent with the results from the 2020 and 2022 tenant satisfaction surveys. Analysis by age reveals that tenants aged 55-64 (11%) were most likely to say they had too many bedrooms, while those aged 25-34 (22%) and aged 35-44 (25%) were most likely to say they had too few bedrooms. Tenants who live in 2 parent households (38%), 1 parent households (26%) and households with 3 or more adults (25%) were most likely to say their home had too few bedrooms. On the other hand, single adults (88%) and 2 adult households (87%) were most likely to say they had about the right number of bedrooms. Single adult households and households with 2 adults had the highest proportion stating they had too many rooms in their home (both 7%). The majority of the 63 respondents (59%) who felt that they had too many rooms said they would be willing for someone from Housing Service’s to contact them to discuss if they would be willing to move to a smaller property.
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21 5. COMMUNICATION AND PARTICIPATION 5.1. Keeping tenants informed (Q7) Three quarters of respondents (75%) felt their landlord was very or fairly good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions, while 11% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 14% were very or fairly dissatisfied. The proportion of tenants who felt Renfrewshire Council were very or fairly good at keeping them informed has decreased since the previous survey, from 91% in 2022 to 75% in 2024. Dissatisfaction has increased considerably from 5% in 2022 to 14% in 2024. The 2024 results are lower than the ARC 2022/23 LA average (81%). Analysis by area shows that almost all tenants who lived in Ferguslie Park (86%) said they feel their landlord is very or fairly good at keeping them informed. Those who lived in Glenburn were least likely to feel this way (66%). Q7 How good or poor do you feel your landlord (Renfrewshire Council) is at keeping you informed about their housing services and decisions? [Analysed by office] PAISLEY FERGUSLIE PARK J'STONE & VILL GLENBURN RENFREW FOXBAR GALLOWHILL J'STONE CASTLE Base 382 58 180 87 161 102 206 46 Very good 34.3% 29.3% 20.0% 10.3% 15.5% 13.7% 28.6% 39.1% Fairly good 38.0% 56.9% 52.8% 55.2% 61.5% 57.8% 53.9% 39.1% Neither good nor poor 10.2% 6.9% 15.0% 18.4% 6.8% 14.7% 8.7% 6.5% Fairly poor 8.6% 5.2% 5.6% 10.3% 10.6% 4.9% 5.8% 4.3% Very poor 8.9% 1.7% 6.7% 5.7% 5.6% 8.8% 2.9% 10.9% % Good 72% 86% 73% 66% 77% 72% 83% 78%
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22 The results to this question vary significantly in terms of: Age: Tenants aged 75 and over were most likely to be of the opinion that their landlord is good at keeping them informed (84%), while tenants aged 35-54 were least likely (70%). Household composition: Single adult households were most likely to be satisfied in this respect (79%), while single parent families were least satisfied (68%). Disability: Households with a disability were less likely to say their landlord was good at keeping them informed (72%) than households with no disability (83%).
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23 5.2. Tenant Participation Opportunities (Q8) Tenants were most likely to say they would prefer to be consulted by telephone call (33%) or by letter (54%). These were also the two most popular options identified in the 2020 and 2022 surveys. Analysis by age reveals that as age increases the preference for written communications also increases for example 40% of tenants aged 16-34 preferred to be kept informed via letter compared to 65% of tenants aged 75 and over, and 15% of tenants aged 16-34 preferred to be kept informed via magazines or newsletters compared to 30% of tenants aged 75 and over. Digital communications on the other hand such as email or SMS communication is most likely to be preferred by tenants aged 16-34 (41%), and this decreases with aged to just 4% for those aged 75 and over. Q8 Renfrewshire Council’s Housing service uses a range of different methods to contact and consult with tenants. Which methods do you prefer Renfrewshire Council Housing Service to use to consult with you about issues that may affect you? (tick as many that apply) Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % By letter 657 53.7% Telephone call 409 33.4% By e mail/SMS text 324 26.5% Magazine / Newsletter/Peoples news 254 20.8% Online 44 3.6% Personal visit 41 3.4% Organised public meetings 18 1.5% Through Tenants and Residents Associations 10 0.8% Through Tenants Forums 9 0.7% By Focus Group 8 0.7% Other 19 1.6% None 25 2.0%
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24 5.3. Satisfaction with opportunities for participation (Q11/12) The majority of respondents (84%) were very or fairly satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision-making processes, compared to 12% who were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 4% who were very or fairly dissatisfied. The proportion of tenants who were very or fairly satisfied in this respect has decreased from 94% in 2020 and 99% in 2022. The 2024 result is above the ARC 2022/23 LA average of 76%. Analysis by area shows that satisfaction with participation opportunities ranged from 76% in Johnstone and Villages and 75% in Paisley to 96% in Gallowhill and 98% in Johnstone Castle. Q11 How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities given to you to participate in your landlord’s (Renfrewshire Council’s) decision making processes? PAISLEY FERGUSLIE PARK J'STONE & VILL GLENBURN RENFREW FOXBAR GALLOWHILL J'STONE CASTLE Base 382 58 180 87 161 102 206 46 Very satisfied 40.8% 22.4% 27.8% 13.8% 18.0% 10.8% 23.3% 21.7% Fairly satisfied 33.8% 70.7% 47.8% 64.4% 75.8% 71.6% 72.8% 76.1% Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 18.3% 3.4% 18.3% 19.5% 4.3% 14.7% 3.4% - Fairly dissatisfied 4.2% 3.4% 1.7% 1.1% 1.2% 2.9% 0.5% 2.2% Very dissatisfied 2.9% - 4.4% 1.1% 0.6% - - - % satisfied 75% 93% 76% 78% 94% 82% 96% 98%
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25 Further analysis indicates that the results to this question vary significantly in terms of: Disability: Households with a disability were less likely to be satisfied with participation opportunities (81%) than households with no disability (91%). Tenants who were not satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision-making processes were then asked for suggestions for improvement. Just over a third stated they were not aware they could become involved (37%). Q12 What could Renfrewshire Council do to make you satisfied with the opportunities for getting involved? Base: Not satisfied with participation opportunities, n=201 No. % Not aware/ need more information on what they do 74 36.8% Not enough opportunities to participate/ don't get a say/ need more opportunities 26 12.9% Decisions made without consulting tenants/ won't make a difference/ need to listen 21 10.4% Not interested in getting involved 14 7.0% Can't get in touch with anyone/ don't hear from them 13 6.5% Don't have time/ not able to/ have meetings at different times 6 3.0% Other 19 9.5% Don't know 36 17.9%
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26 6. CONTACT WITH COMMUNITIES, HOUSING AND PLANNING SERVICES 6.1. Contacting the Council (Q13/14) Respondents were asked about the methods they would prefer to use when getting in touch with their landlord and also the methods they would prefer their landlord to use when they need to get in touch with them. Telephone contact was by far and away the most preferred way for both tenants to use when they need to get in touch with their landlord (88%) and also for when their landlord needs to contact them (68%). Tenants were more likely to prefer their landlord to use email (27%) and letters (39%) than for tenants themselves to use these to communicate with their landlord (14% and 5% respectively). Q13 Which of the following methods would you prefer to use when getting in touch with your landlord and which would you prefer your landlord to use when getting in touch with you? Q13 Which of the following methods would you prefer to use when getting in touch with your landlord? Q14 Would you prefer your landlord to use when getting in touch with you? [ALL THAT APPLY] Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % No. % Email 170 13.9% 333 27.2% Phone 1,076 88.0% 828 67.7% In person 71 5.8% 51 4.2% Online 75 6.1% 36 2.9% Letter 55 4.5% 479 39.2% Text message - - 103 8.4% Other 35 2.9% 11 0.9% Analysis by age shows that digital communications such as email contact and online contact were most likely to be preferred by younger tenants, and that the preference level decreases with age with those aged 75 and over being least likely to prefer to use this type of communication themselves or for their landlord to use these communications to keep in touch with them.
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27 6.2. Internet use (Q15) More than half of tenants (56%) stated they access the internet via a home Wi-Fi, while 38% connect to the internet via a mobile phone. Just over a third of tenants said they did not use the internet and less than 1% access the internet at a public building such as a library. Analysis by age of respondent shows that as age increases, the proportion of tenants who do not use the internet generally increases with those aged 75 and over being most likely to say they do not use the internet (83%).
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28 6.3. Accessing the Council website for housing services information (Q16-18) Over half of tenants who used the internet (54%) said they visit the Council website Renfrewshire.gov.uk to find out more information about housing services. Of these 452 individuals, just over half (51%) said they were looking for information on repairs and 43% had a rent enquiry. Q17 If yes, what information are you looking for? Base: Use the website, n=452 No. % Repairs 230 50.9% Rent enquiry 192 42.5% Moving House (Housing Options) 41 9.1% Housing improvements 36 8.0% Garden/close maintenance 23 5.1% General information/ browsing 23 5.1% Contact numbers 17 3.8% Housing benefit 13 2.9% Neighbour problem or Anti-Social Behaviour 10 2.2% New developments 5 1.1% Homelessness 2 0.4% Other 16 3.5% Those who did not use the website were asked why this was the case. Over half of these tenants said they got information elsewhere or by other means (54%), 25% said the website was difficult to navigate or they could not find what they were looking for and 10% said they were unaware of the website. Q18 If not, why not? Base: Gave a response, n=342 No. % Got information elsewhere/ by other means 186 54.4% Difficult to navigate/ couldn’t find what I was looking for 86 25.1% Unaware of the website 35 10.2% Other 14 4.1% No reason 10 2.9% Prefer to phone/ to talk to someone 7 2.0% Don't use/ can't use the internet 6 1.8% Only just moved in/ just got the internet 4 1.2% Family member does it for me 3 0.9% English is not good 2 0.6% Disability reasons 2 0.6%
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29 6.4. My Account (Q19) It was explained to respondents that “My Account” is the Council’s online customer account which allows customers to access Council services online 24 hours a day. Tenants are able to do things such as view their rent balance, apply for housing benefit, make rent payments or provide information on change of household details or circumstances. All respondents were asked if they would be interested in using ‘My Account’, with the majority (68%) stating they were already registered and a further 5% stating they would be interested in using ‘My Account’. The proportion of respondents who were already registered has seen a significant increase from 53% in 2022 to 68% in 2024.
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30 6.5. Contacting the Council about a housing matter (Q20-23) More than 6 in 10 tenants (61%) have contacted Renfrewshire Council about a housing matter in the last 12 months (56% in 2022). Of these respondents, over half (52%) said they contacted a repairs and maintenance officer, 26% contacted the contact centre (26%) and 16% contacted a housing officer. Q21 Who did you contact? Base: All who had been in contact, n=741 No. % Repairs and maintenance officer 387 52.2% Contact Centre 190 25.6% Housing Officer 120 16.2% Other 44 5.9% The three most likely matters tenants contacted the Council about were repairs (73%), moving house (9%) and regarding a neighbour or anti-social behaviour problem (5%). In 2022 the top three reasons were to report repairs (69%), about moving house (8%) and neighbour problems or anti-social behaviour (5%). Q22 What did you last contact the Council about? Base: All who had been in contact, n=741 No. % Repairs 543 73.3% Moving House (Housing Options) 64 8.6% Neighbour problem or Anti-Social Behaviour 35 4.7% Garden/close maintenance 35 4.7% Housing improvements 19 2.6% Rent enquiry 15 2.0% Housing benefit 6 0.8% Homelessness 3 0.4% Problems with damp/ mould 3 0.4% Other 18 2.4%
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31 The majority of tenants (80%, 84% in 2022) who had contact with the Council within the last 12 months found staff to be helpful, while 11% said staff were unhelpful (8% in 2022) and 9% said staff were neither helpful nor unhelpful (8% in 2022). Analysis by reason for contact reveals that tenants who had contacted the Council about homelessness (100%), about repairs (85%) and about moving house (72%) were most likely to say staff were helpful. On the other hand, respondents who had been in touch about a neighbour problem (49%) or regarding housing improvements (47%) were least likely to find staff helpful. Care should be taken when reading these results due to the small base numbers associated with certain contact reasons. Q22 What did you last contact the Council about? Base Helpful Unhelpful Neither Homelessness 3 100% - - Repairs 543 85% 7% 7% Other (please specify) 18 78% 17% 6% Moving House (Housing Options) 64 72% 19% 9% Rent enquiry 15 67% 27% 7% Housing benefit 6 67% - 33% Problems with damp/ mould 3 67% 33% - Garden/close maintenance 35 63% 20% 17% Neighbour problem or Anti-Social Behaviour 35 49% 37% 14% Housing improvements 19 47% 26% 26%
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32 7. COMPLAINTS 7.1. Nature of complaint (Q24/25) Just 11% of respondents had complained to Renfrewshire Council about Housing Services in the last 12 months (7% in 2020 and 5% in 2022). Complaints were most likely to be regarding repairs (50%) or anti-social neighbours (25%) which is consistent with the results from the 2020 and 2022 surveys. It should be noted that the respondent may have answered this question about issues which they perceived as being a complaint, however these issues may not in actual fact be recognised as official complaints using the Council’s formal complaints policy. Q25 If yes, please can you describe the nature of the complaint? Base: Made a complaint, n=139 No. % Complaint about repairs 69 49.6% Anti-social neighbour complaint 34 24.5% Complaint about damp/ mould 13 9.4% Complaint about Improvements 12 8.6% Complaint against a member of staff 4 2.9% Complaint about Allocations 2 1.4% Complaint about landscaping 2 1.4% Other 3 2.2% Complaints regarding bins/ uplifts, ground maintenance and ‘other’ complaints have been removed from the following analysis as these issues do not pertain to housing services.
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33 7.2. Satisfaction with aspects of the complaints process (Q26/27) Tenants who had made a complaint were asked to rate their satisfaction with various aspects of the complaints process. The following analysis has been separated into service-based complaints and anti-social complaints. Satisfaction with service-based complaints was mixed, ranging from 23% regarding the speed with which the complaint was dealt with to 78% with regards to how easy it was to make the complaint. Satisfaction with anti-social complaints was also mixed, ranging from 35% with regards to the speed with which the complaint was dealt with to 79% with regards to how easy it was to make the complaint.
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34 As can be seen from the chart below, 27% of respondents who made a service-based complaint were satisfied with the way their complaint was handled compared to 35% of respondents who made an anti-social behaviour complaint. The chart below shows the response to this question for housing service complaints in 2022 versus 2024. Care should be taken when reading these results due to the small base numbers for both years. One third of respondents who made housing service complaints in 2022 (33%) were satisfied with the way their complaint was handled versus 27% of respondents who were satisfied in 2024.
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35 The following charts shows satisfaction with how the complaint was handled for anti-social behaviour complaints in 2022 versus 2024. Again, care should be taken when reading these results due to the small base numbers for both years. In 2022 37% of respondents who made anti-social behaviour complaints were satisfied with how their complaint was handled versus 35% in 2024.
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36 8. THE REPAIRS SERVICE 8.1. General satisfaction with repairs and maintenance (Q28/29) All respondents were asked generally, how satisfied they are with the way Renfrewshire Council as their landlord deals with repairs and maintenance. The majority of respondents (73%) were very or fairly satisfied in this respect. Satisfaction has decreased from 86% in 2020 and 83% in 2022. Dissatisfaction has continued to increase marginally from 8% in 2020 to 11% in 2022 and 14% in 2024.
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37 Analysis by demographic reveals that overall satisfaction varies significantly in terms of: Age: Analysis by age indicates that older respondents aged 75 and over (80%) and aged 55-74 (78%) were more likely to be satisfied with the repairs service generally than those aged 16-34 (69%) and aged 35-54 (68%). Household composition: Analysis by household composition indicates that 1 parent families were least satisfied with the repairs service (61%). Disability: Households with a disability were less likely to be satisfied with the repairs service (71%) than those who did not have a disability (78%). Gender: Males were more likely to be satisfied in this respect (78%) than females (71%).
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38 Half of respondents (50%, 38% in 2022) stated they had repairs carried out in their property within the last 12 months. Further analysis reveals tenants who had a repair carried out in the last 12 months (71%) were slightly less likely to be very or fairly satisfied with the way Renfrewshire Council as their landlord deals with repairs and maintenance (71%), than those who have not had a repair carried out in the last 12 months (75%).
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39 8.2. Satisfaction with aspects of the repairs service (Q30-33) Respondents who had had a repair carried out in their property within the last 12 months were then asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with various aspects of the repairs service. Satisfaction was high, ranging from 77% with regards to the repair being done ‘right first time’ to 94% with regards the ease of reporting repairs and the attitude of workers (94%).
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40 Compared to the results from 2022 satisfaction levels have generally seen no significant change with the exception of the time taken before work started where satisfaction has fallen from 85% in 2022 to 78% in 2024. Q30 Thinking of repairs you have had carried out in the last year, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following? [2018/2020 comparison] % satisfied 2022 % satisfied 2024 Time taken before work started 85% 78% The process of reporting repairs through the customer service centre 93% 92% Ease of reporting repairs 93% 94% Being told when workers would call N/A 89% Keeping dirt and mess to a minimum 94% 93% Being able to make an appointment 93% 89% The speed of completion of the work 84% 81% The attitude of workers 92% 94% The overall quality of work 83% 83% The repair being done 'right first time' 81% 77% The tradesperson doing the job you expected 87% 85% Where respondents were dissatisfied with any aspect of the repairs service, they were asked to explain why this was. Respondents were most likely to say this was because the repair took too long (49%) or that they were unhappy with the quality of the repair or where the repair was not fixed on the first attempt (39%). Q30l If you were dissatisfied with any aspect of the repairs, can you please explain why? Base: Not satisfied with aspects of repairs, n=181 No. % Repair took too long 88 49.4% Poor quality repair/ repair not fixed on first attempt/ still not fixed 69 38.8% Poor communication re repair/ repairs appointments/ still to get back to me 27 15.2% Left a mess behind/ damage to home 19 10.7% Tradesman had bad attitude/ poor customer service 15 8.4% Problems with damp/ mould not being addressed/ patched up 12 6.7% Tradesman did not turn up/ come back to finish the job 11 6.2% Patch up job instead of replacing things 5 2.8% Other 12 6.7%
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41 The majority of tenants (75%) who had a repair carried out in the last 12 months said the worker or tradesperson showed proof of their identity, compared to 12% who said they did not and 14% who said they couldn’t remember. This is a decrease from the 82% reported in 2020 and 79% reported in 2022. With regards to appointments, almost all tenants (91%) stated they were offered a suitable appointment time for their repair (97% in 2022 and 88% in 2020).
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42 Of those who had an appointment, almost all (97%) stated the appointment was kept. In 2020, 97% said their appointment was kept and 96% said this was the case in 2022.
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43 9. YOUR HOME 9.1. Overall satisfaction with quality of the home (Q34/35) Over 7 in 10 tenants (72%) were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of their home, compared to 15% who were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 14% who were very or fairly dissatisfied. The proportion of respondents who were satisfied with the quality of their home is less than was reported in 2020 (86%) and in 2022 (80%). The 2024 result is lower than the ARC 2022/23 LA average of 82%. Respondents who were not satisfied with the quality of their home were asked to explain why this was. Respondents were most likely to say this was where their home required upgrades or improvements (31%) or where their home had a problem with dampness or mould (27%). Q35 Can you please explain why you are not satisfied with the quality of your home? Base: Not satisfied with quality of the home, n=348 No. % Needing upgrades/ improvements e.g. kitchen/ bathroom/ windows/ doors 106 30.5% Problems with dampness/ mould 93 26.7% Repairs needing done 92 26.4% Poor quality/ run down/ old building/ cracks in walls 36 10.3% Home is too small 17 4.9% Poor heating/ boiler system 16 4.6% Outside maintenance required 8 2.3% Poor insulation 6 1.7% Nothing done as getting demolished 4 1.1% Other 32 9.2%
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44 Analysis by demographic indicates that the results vary significantly in terms of: Length of stay: Tenants who had lived in their home for 21 or more years were most likely to be satisfied with the quality of their (76%) than tenants who had lived in their home between 3 and 10 years (68%). Age: Satisfaction with the quality of the home is highest amongst the 75 and over age category (83%) and lowest for those aged 16-34 and aged 35-54 (both 63%). Household composition: Single adults were most likely to be satisfied with the quality of their home (78%), while 2 parent families were least likely to be satisfied (54%). Disability: Households with a disability were less likely to be satisfied with the quality of their home (70%) than tenants who did not have a disability (77%). Gender: Females were less satisfied with the quality of their home (68%) than males (76%).
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45 9.2. Major works carried out (Q36-39) The majority of respondents (87%) said they had not had any major improvements carried out to their home over the last two years. The proportion of respondents who had improvements carried out (13%) was more than was reported in 2022 (5%) and less than 2020 (16%). The most common major improvements were new bathrooms (52 respondents) and heating systems (34 respondents). Q36 Over the past two years has your home had any major improvements carried out? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % Bathroom 52 4.3% Heating System 34 2.8% Kitchen 30 2.5% External works 30 2.5% Windows 24 2.0% Solar panels 16 1.3% Re wired 7 0.6% Insulation 4 0.3% Other 10 0.8% None 1062 86.8% Of the 30 respondents who had external works completed on their home, 12 (40%) said they had noticed an improvement in energy efficiency, 5 (17%) had not noticed an improvement and 13 (43%) were unsure. The majority of tenants (88%) who have had major improvements carried out in their home within the last two years were very or fairly satisfied with the quality of work. This is higher than the 2022 result where 83% were satisfied.
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46 9.3. Satisfaction with aspects of the home (Q40) Tenants were then asked if they were satisfied or dissatisfied with various aspects of their home. Satisfaction was high, ranging from 66% in terms of common internal areas to 91% with regards to the wiring. Please note the proportion of respondents who had no opinion or said any of these were not applicable has been excluded from this analysis. As can be seen from the table below, satisfaction levels have not changed significantly since 2022 with the exception of the kitchen (decreased by 9 percentage points), the bathroom (decreased by 6%), common internal areas (decreased by 12%) and the immediate common external areas (decreased by 9%). Q40 How satisfied are you with the following elements of your home? [% Satisfied 2020/2022/2024 comparison] 2020 2022 2024 Kitchen 82% 79% 70% Bathroom 83% 80% 74% The wiring 93% 93% 91% The roof 84% 83% 84% Roughcast/ condition of walls 79% 78% 75% Gutters and drains 76% 77% 72% Overall design and layout 94% 92% 90% Heating system 86% 84% 80% Common internal areas (e.g. stairwells, common entrance, close etc) 77% 78% 66% Immediate common external areas, (bin areas, front and rear grass areas etc) 76% 79% 70%
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47 9.4. Multi-storey blocks (Q41) Just over 1 in 10 tenants (12%) said they lived in a multi storey property. Tenants who lived in multi storey properties and who received a concierge or caretaker service were asked for their opinions on the service. Satisfaction levels ranged from 85% with regards to the cleanliness of the block to 95% in terms of caretakers or concierge staff being easy to contact. Satisfaction with the cleanliness of the block has decreased from 93% in 2020 and in 2022 to 85% in 2024. Q41 If you live in a high rise block could you please provide answers on the following: What do you think of: [% Good 2018/2020 comparison] 2020 2022 2024 Is the caretaker/ concierge easy to contact 97% 94% 95% General attitude of Caretaker / concierge staff 100% 98% 94% The cleanliness of your block 93% 93% 85%
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48 10. NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGEMENT 10.1. Landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood (Q42/43) Tenants were asked to rate how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with their landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in. Three out of four tenants were very or fairly satisfied in this respect (75%), compared to 14% who were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied and 11% who were very or fairly dissatisfied. Satisfaction has decreased from 87% in 2022. The 2024 result is marginally higher than the ARC 2022/23 LA average of 82%. Analysis by area reveals that satisfaction with the Council’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood ranges from 67% for tenants living in Johnstone and the Village to 95% for those living in Ferguslie Park. Q42 Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in? [Analysed by office] PAISLEY FERGUSLIE PARK J'STONE & VILL GLENBURN RENFREW FOXBAR GALLOWHILL J'STONE CASTLE Base 382 58 180 87 161 102 206 46 Very Satisfied 27.7% 6.9% 17.8% 16.1% 23.0% 13.7% 26.2% 28.3% Satisfied 42.1% 87.9% 48.9% 56.3% 53.4% 60.8% 60.2% 47.8% Neither 14.7% 1.7% 17.2% 20.7% 15.5% 14.7% 7.3% 10.9% Dissatisfied 6.0% 1.7% 7.2% 4.6% 6.8% 7.8% 3.9% 13.0% Very dissatisfied 9.4% 1.7% 8.9% 2.3% 1.2% 2.9% 2.4% - % Satisfied 70% 95% 67% 72% 76% 75% 86% 76%
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49 Where tenants were not satisfied with their landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood, they were asked to explain why they felt this way. The main reason was where respondents were unhappy that the area is rundown or that they don’t see much being done in the neighbourhood (30%). This was followed by poor garden maintenance (22%) and the requirement to deal with anti-social behaviour issues. Q43 (If not satisfied )Can you please explain why you are not satisfied with your landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in? Base: Gave a response, n=303 No. % Area is run down/ nothing being done/ don't see them 92 30.4% Poor garden maintenance/ landscaping 67 22.1% Need to deal with ASB/ ASN 51 16.8% Area untidy with litter/ rubbish 37 12.2% Maintain back courts/ communal areas 13 4.3% Don't know what they do for area 9 3.0% Problems with vermin 9 3.0% Problem with dog fouling 8 2.6% Bin area needs improved/ issues with bins 8 2.6% Better close cleaning service 5 1.7% Vet tenants 3 1.0% Other 36 11.9% No comment/ don't know 24 7.9%
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50 Analysis by demographic shows that overall satisfaction varies significantly with regards to: Age: Tenants aged 75 and over were most likely to be satisfied in this respect (82%) and tenants aged 35-54 were least satisfied (70%). Disability: Households who had a disability (72%) were less likely to be satisfied with the Council’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood than households with no disability (83%).
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51 10.2. Best thing about the neighbourhood (Q44) All respondents were then asked an open question relating to the best things about living in their neighbourhood. Answers have been coded thematically to allow for quantitative analysis. Tenants were most likely to say the best thing about their neighbourhood is that it is quiet and peaceful (42%) followed by there being good neighbours and friendly people (39%). These were also the most common responses provided in 2022. Q44 What are the best things about living in your neighbourhood? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % Quiet/ peaceful/ feel safe 514 42.0% Good neighbours/ friendly people/ community spirit 473 38.7% Close to local amenities/ good amenities 321 26.2% Nice area/ pleasant views/ well maintained/ happy with neighbourhood 213 17.4% Good public transport/ transport links 132 10.8% Good location/ close to town 129 10.5% Close to family/ friends 67 5.5% Lived here a long time/ know the area well 62 5.1% Good concierge/ warden 16 1.3% It is ok/ fine 8 0.7% Everything 5 0.4% Other 71 5.8% Don't know 57 4.7% Nothing 52 4.3%
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52 10.3. Greatest problems or issues in the neighbourhood (Q45) Tenants were then asked what they perceive to be the greatest problems or issues in their neighbourhood. Again, answers have been coded thematically. As can be seen from the table below, more than a third of tenants (38%) did not believe there were any problems or issues in their neighbourhood. Where tenants did believe an issue to be present, this was most likely in relation to anti-social behaviour/ anti-social neighbours (19%). Q45 And what would you say are the greatest problems or issues in your neighbourhood? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % No problems/ nothing 468 38.3% Anti-social behaviour/ problems with neighbours e.g., noise, loitering 233 19.1% Rubbish/ litter problems/ Area is untidy/ rundown 108 8.8% Drug / Alcohol problems 94 7.7% Lack of ground maintenance i.e. landscaping 54 4.4% Problems with pets e.g. fouling/ barking 51 4.2% Lack of/ poor local amenities 47 3.8% Parking issues 43 3.5% Busy/ noisy roads/ traffic issues 31 2.5% Condition of properties/ upgrades required 31 2.5% Lack of activities for kids/ kids hanging about 27 2.2% Problems with vermin 22 1.8% Condition of roads and pavements 19 1.6% Communal maintenance required 18 1.5% Gardens not being maintained by tenants 16 1.3% Security improvements, e.g. lighting, cameras, door entry systems etc 13 1.1% Other 74 6.1% Don't know/ no comment given 159 13.0%
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53 11. RENT AND BENEFITS 11.1. Value for money (Q46/47) Tenants were asked to rate the extent to which they considered their rent to be value for money. 70% of tenants were of the opinion their rent represents very or fairly good value for money, compared to 18% who said it represented neither good nor poor value and 12% who said it represented very or fairly poor value for money. The proportion of respondents who felt their rent represented very or fairly good value for money has decreased marginally from 83% in 2022 to 70% in 2024. Renfrewshire Council is performing in line with the ARC 2022/2023 LA average (82%) with regards to value for money for rent.
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54 Respondents were asked to explain why they said their rent was not good value for money. As can be seen from the table below, the main reason was where tenants said rents were too expensive or dissatisfaction with rent increases (35%) or where they were unhappy with the quality of the home (33%). Q47 Can you please explain why you say that value for money for your rent is not good? Base: Said rent was not good value, n=363 No. % Too expensive/ keeps increasing 126 34.7% Poor quality home e.g. requires upgrades/ repairs 121 33.3% Don't pay rent/ receive housing benefit 37 10.2% Receive poor services e.g. repairs/ maintenance 35 9.6% Expensive for size/ type of property 26 7.2% Unhappy with management of the area e.g. maintenance/ ASB 23 6.3% It is average/ ok 11 3.0% Other 10 2.8% Don't know 31 8.5%
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55 Analysis of this question by demographic indicates that value for money varies significantly in terms of: Length of stay: New tenants (lived in their home less than 2 years) were significantly less likely than all other tenants to say their rent was poor value for money (7%). Age: Tenants aged 75 and over were most likely to say their rent is good value for money (76%), while tenants aged 35-54 were least likely (66%). Household composition: Single adults were most likely to say their rent was good value for money (74%) and 2 parent families were least likely (58%). Ethnicity: Tenants who were White Scottish, British or Irish were more likely to say their rent was poor (12%) than other ethnicities (3%).
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56 11.2. Housing benefit and Universal Credit (Q48) Just under half of respondents (47%) stated that they were in receipt of full housing benefit, 7% were in receipt of partial housing benefit, 17% were in receipt of Universal Credit, 25% said they did not receive any housing benefit and 3% stated they did not know. 11.3. Financial advice and support (Q49/50) As can be seen from the table below, the majority of respondents (97%) stated that they did not require any help with maintaining rent payments. On the other hand, 12 tenants said they would benefit from budget support, 11 tenants would like regular reminders to pay their rent and 6 tenants said they would like advice on bank accounts. A total of 23 tenants provided other comments, these were largely where they would like general money advice, where they spoke about challenges they were facing regarding their income or where they would like help to find out what benefits they may be entitled to. Q49 Is there any help you may require with maintaining rent payments? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % Budget support 12 1.0% Advice on bank accounts 6 0.5% Regular reminders to pay 11 0.9% Other, please specify 23 1.9% None 1182 96.8%
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57 Just under 1 in 5 respondents (18%, 14% in 2022) said they have spoken to Renfrewshire Council Housing staff about money advice. Of these respondents, 87% found the advice and assistance very or slightly helpful, while 5% stated it was not very helpful and 8% felt it was not helpful at all. The proportion of respondents who felt the advice and assistance given was helpful has increased marginally from 84% in 2022.
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58 12. SERVICE PRIORITIES AND IMPROVEMENTS 12.1. Best aspect of service provided (Q51) All respondents were then asked an open question regarding what they thought the best thing about the Housing Services that Renfrewshire Council provides. As can be seen from the table below, the most commonly mentioned aspects were the repairs service (18%) and customer service (17%). Q51 What do you think is the best thing about the Housing Service that Renfrewshire Council provides? [PROBE FULLY] Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % Repairs service e.g. prompt/ quality of workmanship 217 17.7% Customer service e.g. staff helpful/ friendly 206 16.8% None 122 10.0% The overall service is good/ good landlord 113 9.2% Good quality homes 43 3.5% Prompt response to issues 38 3.1% Neighbourhood maintenance/ management/ communal maintenance 36 2.9% Everything 31 2.5% They provide affordable housing/ rents 29 2.4% Not had any issues 23 1.9% Good communication/ information provided 18 1.5% Quick/ good at allocating homes 14 1.1% Provide good money/ rent/ welfare advice 3 0.2% Upgrades/ improvements been made to home 3 0.2% Other 32 2.6% Don't know 326 26.7% No comment 47 3.8%
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59 12.2. Service improvement (Q52) Tenants were then given the opportunity to provide an open response to the parts of the housing service of Renfrewshire Council that could be improved upon. One in four tenants stated ‘none’ (25%) and a further 18% answered ‘don’t know’ to this question. Where a suggestion was provided, this was most likely to be in relation to improving the repairs service (14%) and upgrading homes (11%). Q52 If you were to recommend a key area for improvement for the Housing Service that Renfrewshire Council provides, what would it be? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % None/ nothing 306 25.0% Improve repairs service/ deal with outstanding repairs 167 13.7% Homes need upgraded 137 11.2% Improvements to neighbourhood/ neighbourhood maintenance/ communal areas 125 10.2% Improvements to customer service 64 5.2% Better communication/ listen to tenants 56 4.6% Deal with ASB/ ASN 34 2.8% Better allocation of homes 29 2.4% Deal with damp/ mould 28 2.3% Build new homes 26 2.1% Sort the bins/ bin area/ comments about bins 26 2.1% Clean up the area/ deal with vermin 17 1.4% Vet tenants 17 1.4% Fix roads 16 1.3% Better facilities for kids/ for the community 11 0.9% Everything 9 0.7% Improve security 8 0.7% Reduce rent 3 0.2% Other 55 4.5% Don’t know 225 18.4%
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60 13. HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION 13.1. Tenant or partner (Q54) Almost all respondents (99%) who took part in the survey were the tenant of the house, while 1% were the tenant’s partner or spouse. 13.2. Age and gender (Q55/56) Just over 6 in 10 respondents (61%) were female, while 38% were male. Two respondents described themselves in another way and 1% (9 respondents) refused to say. In terms of the age profile of respondents, 13% were aged 18 to 34, 36% were aged 35 to 54, 17% were aged 55 to 64 and 31% were aged over 65. 2% of respondents refused to provide their age. Q55 What is your age? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % 16-24 32 2.6% 25-34 128 10.5% 35-44 232 19.0% 45-54 212 17.3% 55-64 216 17.7% 65-74 224 18.3% 75+ 160 13.1% Prefer not to say 19 1.6% 13.3. Household composition (Q57) In terms of household composition, 54% consisted of single adults, 17% consisted of two adults, 5% consisted of three of more adults, 15% were one-parent families and 6% were two parent families. Q57 How would you describe the composition of your household? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % One adult under 60 302 24.7% One adult aged 60 or over 361 29.5% Two adults both under 60 91 7.4% Two adults both over 60 66 5.4% Two adults, at least one 60 or over 51 4.2% Three or more adults, 16 or over 60 4.9% 1 parent family with children at least 1 under 16 179 14.6% 2 parent family with children at least 1 under 16 71 5.8% Other 42 3.4%
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61 13.4. Disability status (Q58/59) More than 6 in 10 households (65%) stated that they or someone in their household had a long- term illness, health problem or disability that limits their daily activities or the work they can do (including problems due to old age). This is consistent with the 2022 results (63%). The most common long-term illness, health problem or disability cited was mobility or physical disabilities (52%), followed by mental ill health (23%). Q59 What is the nature of their disabilities? Base: Had disability, n=799 No. % Mobility/ physical disabilities 417 52.2% Mental ill health 180 22.5% Learning difficulties 49 6.1% Being frail due to old age 25 3.1% Difficulties with sight 24 3.0% Difficulties with hearing 17 2.1% Drug/ Alcohol dependency 6 0.8% Dementia 3 0.4% Other 273 34.2% Don’t know 5 0.6% Prefer not to say 58 7.3% 13.5. Ethnicity (Q60) Almost all tenants (92%) were White Scottish (88%) or White other British (4%). Q63 Renfrewshire Council monitors the ethnic origin of its tenants to ensure it provides a quality service to all members of the community who require it. Can you tell me which of the following groups you consider you belong to? Base: All respondents, n=1223 No. % White Scottish 1074 87.8% White Other British 52 4.3% White Irish 5 0.4% Polish 17 1.4% Any other white ethnic group (please specify) 6 0.5% Any mixed or multiple ethnic groups (please specify) 1 0.1% Pakistani, Pakistani Scottish or Pakistani British 1 0.1% Indian, Indian Scottish or Indian British 2 0.2% Other (please specify) 6 0.5% African, African Scottish or African British 11 0.9% Caribbean, Caribbean Scottish or Caribbean British 3 0.2% Black, Black Scottish or Black British 2 0.2% Other (please specify) 19 1.6% Arab, Arab Scottish or Arab British 3 0.2% Any other group (please specify) 21 1.7%
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62 Appendix 1 Survey Questionnaire
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63 Overall satisfaction 1. [SSHC1] Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the overall service provided by Renfrewshire Council as your landlord? Very satisfied 1 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 No opinion 6 [CODE 3,4,5] If not satisfied, can you explain why? [INTERVIEWER: PLEASE NOTE THAT IF TENANT MENTIONS SERVICES OR ISSUES THAT ARE NOT HOUSING SERVICE ISSUES, REMIND THEM IT RELATES TO THE HOUSING SERVICE AND ASK THEM ABOUT THE LANDLORD SERVICE] Your home 2. How long have you lived in your current home? Under 1 year 1 Go to Q3 1-2 years 2 3-5 years 3 6-10 years 4 Go to Q4 11-20 years 5 21+ years 6 Don’t know/ can’t remember 7 3. When you moved into your current home, how satisfied were you with its condition? Very satisfied 1 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 Don’t know/ Can’t remember 6 If dissatisfied, why were you not satisfied with the condition of your home when you moved in? 4. Are you happy with the type of house you currently have? Yes 1 No (why is that?) 2 Don’t know 3 5. Do you think the number of rooms you have in your home is….? Too few 1 Go to Q7 Too many 2 Go to Q6 About right 3 Go to Q7
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64 6. If too many, would you be willing for someone from Renfrewshire Council to contact you to discuss if you would be willing to move to a smaller property ….? Yes (confirm that respondent happy for contact details to be passed over to the Council so that they can be contacted in this respect. All other responses will remain confidential and anonymous) 1 No 2 Communication and Participation 7. [SSHC2] How good or poor do you feel your landlord (Renfrewshire Council) is at keeping you informed about their housing services and decisions? Very good 1 Fairly good 2 Neither good nor poor 3 Fairly poor 4 Very poor 5 8. Renfrewshire Council’s Housing service uses a range of different methods to contact and consult with tenants. Which methods do you prefer Renfrewshire Council Housing Service to use to consult with you about issues that may affect you? (tick as many that apply) Organised public meetings 1 Through Tenants and Residents Associations 2 Through Tenants Forums 3 By letter 4 Telephone call 5 Personal visit 6 Online 7 Magazine / Newsletter/Peoples news 8 By Focus Group 9 By e mail/SMS text 10 Other (please advise) 11 None 12 9. If Renfrewshire Council was looking to discuss any points similar to those raised in the survey, would you be willing to participate? Yes 1 Go to Q10 No 2 Go to Q11 10. If you are willing would you be happy for us to pass your contact details on to Renfrewshire Council so they can get in touch about any potential opportunities? All your other responses will remain completely confidential. Yes 1 Go to Q11 No 2 11. [SSHC5] How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities given to you to participate in your landlord’s (Renfrewshire Council’s) decision making processes? Very satisfied 1 Go to Q13 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Go to Q12 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5
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65 12. What could Renfrewshire Council do to make you satisfied with the opportunities for getting involved? Go to Q13 Contact with Housing Services 13. How do you want to contact Renfrewshire Council Housing Service? [ALL THAT APPLY] Email 1 Phone 2 In person 3 Online 4 Letter 5 Other (please specify) 6 14. How do you want your landlord to contact you? [ALL THAT APPLY] Email 1 Phone 2 In person 3 Online 4 Letter 5 Text message 6 Other (please specify) 7 15. How do you use the internet? ALL THAT APPLY Home wifi 1 Go to Q16 Mobile phone 2 At a public building like a library 3 Other (please specify) 4 Do not use the internet 5 Go to Q20 16. Do you use the Council website Renfrewshire.gov.uk to find out information about housing services? Yes 1 Go to Q17 No 2 Go to Q18 17. If yes, what information are you looking for? Repairs 1 Rent enquiry 2 Housing benefit 3 Homelessness 4 Moving House (Housing Options) 5 Neighbour problem or Anti-Social Behaviour 6 Garden/close maintenance 7 Housing improvements 8 Other (please specify) 9 NOW GO TO Q19
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66 18. If not, why not? Difficult to navigate/ couldn’t find what I was looking for 1 Unaware of the website 2 Got information elsewhere/ by other means 3 Other (please specify) 4 19. ‘My Account’ is the Council’s online customer account which allows you to access Council services online 24 hours a day? You can do things such as view your rent account balance, apply for housing benefit, make a rent payment or provide information on change of household details or circumstances. Would you be interested in using ‘My Account’? Yes, I am already registered 1 Yes, I would be interested in registering 2 No, I would not be interested in using My Account 3 20. Have you contacted Renfrewshire Council about a housing matter in the last 12 months? Yes 1 Go to Q21 No 2 Go to Q24 Can’t remember 3 21. Who did you contact? Contact Centre 1 Go to Q22 Housing Officer 2 Repairs and maintenance officer 3 Other (please specify) 4 22. What did you last contact the Council about? Repairs 1 Rent enquiry 2 Housing benefit 3 Homelessness 4 Moving House (Housing Options) 5 Neighbour problem or Anti-Social Behaviour 6 Garden/close maintenance 7 Housing improvements 8 Other (please specify) 9 23. Did you find the staff helpful or unhelpful? Helpful 1 Unhelpful 2 Neither 3 Complaints 24. Have you complained to Renfrewshire Council about Housing Services in the last 12 months? This refers to complaints you may have made when you have not been happy with the quality of service provided Yes 1 Go to Q25 No 2 Go to Q28
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67 25. If yes, please can you describe the nature of the complaint? [INTERVIEWER: PLEASE WRITE IN THE SPECIFIC NATURE OF THE COMPLAINT AND THEN CODE NATURE OF COMPLAINT] SPECIFIC NATURE OF COMPLAINT Complaint about repairs 1 Complaint about Rent 2 Complaint about Housing Benefit 3 Complaint about Allocations 4 Complaint about Improvements 5 Anti-social neighbour complaint 6 Complaint against a member of staff 7 Other 8 26. How satisfied were you with the following aspects of the way in which your complaint was handled? Very Satisfied Satisfied Neither nor Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied DK/ NA How easy it was to make your complaint 1 2 3 4 5 6 The information and advice provided by staff 1 2 3 4 5 6 How well you were kept informed about the progress of your complaint 1 2 3 4 5 6 The support you received while your complaint was dealt with 1 2 3 4 5 6 The speed with which your complaint was dealt with 1 2 3 4 5 6 27. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way your complaint was handled? Very satisfied 1 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 Don’t know/ no opinion 6 The Repairs Service [INTERVIWER: READ OUT] Turning now to the Council’s reactive repairs service which comprises emergency, urgent and routine repairs, can I ask you… 28. Generally, how satisfied are you with the way Renfrewshire Council deals with repairs and maintenance? Very satisfied 1 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 29. Have you had any repairs carried out in this property in the last 12 months? Yes 1 Go to Q30 No 2 Go to Q34
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68 30. Thinking of repairs you have had carried out in the last year, how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the following? Very Satisfied Satisfied Neither nor Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied DK/ NA Ease of reporting repairs 1 2 3 4 5 6 The process of reporting repairs through the customer service centre 1 2 3 4 5 6 Being told when workers would call 1 2 3 4 5 6 Being able to make an appointment 1 2 3 4 5 6 Time taken before work started 1 2 3 4 5 6 The speed of completion of the work 1 2 3 4 5 6 The attitude of workers 1 2 3 4 5 6 The overall quality of work 1 2 3 4 5 6 Keeping dirt and mess to a minimum 1 2 3 4 5 6 The repair being done ‘right first time’ 1 2 3 4 5 6 The tradesperson doing the job you expected 1 2 3 4 5 6 If you were dissatisfied with any aspect of the repairs, can you please explain why? 31. Did the workers/ tradespeople show proof of identity? Yes 1 No 2 Can’t remember 3 32. Were you offered a suitable appointment time? Yes 1 Go to Q33 No 2 Go to Q34 Not applicable 3 33. If you had any appointments for repairs, were they kept? Yes 1 No 2 Your Home 34. [SSHC7] Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of your home? Very satisfied 1 Go to Q36 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Go to Q35 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5
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69 35. Can you please explain why you are not satisfied with the quality of your home? 36. Over the past two years has your home had any major improvements carried out? Kitchen 1 Go to Q38 Bathroom 2 Heating System 3 Re wired 4 External works (e.g. new roof, solar panels, external wall insulation) 5 Go to Q37 Other (please describe) 6 Go to Q38 None 7 Go to Q40 37. If you have had external works done, have you noticed an improvement in energy efficiency in your home? Yes 1 No 2 Don’t know 3 38. How satisfied were you with the quality of the work? Very satisfied 1 Go to Q40 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Go to Q39 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 39. Can you please explain why you are not satisfied with the quality of the work? 40. How satisfied are you with the following elements of your home? Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither nor Fairly dissat. Very dissat. No opinion/ NA Kitchen 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bathroom 1 2 3 4 5 6 The wiring 1 2 3 4 5 6 The roof 1 2 3 4 5 6 Roughcast/ condition of walls 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gutters and drains 1 2 3 4 5 6 Overall design and layout 1 2 3 4 5 6 Heating system 1 2 3 4 5 6 If relevant Common internal areas (e.g. stairwells, common entrance, close etc) 1 2 3 4 5 6 If relevant Immediate common external areas, (bin areas, front and rear grass areas etc) 1 2 3 4 5 6
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70 41. [INTERVIEWER: ASK QUESTION ONLY IF LIVE IN A MULTI STOREY FLAT & RECEIVE CONCIERGE/CARETAKER SERVICE – MARKED ON SAMPLE. OTHERWISE SKIP TO Q42] If you live in a high rise block could you please provide answers on the following: What do you think of: Very good Fairly good Neither nor Fairly poor Very poor No opinion General attitude of Caretaker / concierge staff 1 2 3 4 5 6 Is the caretaker/ concierge easy to contact 1 2 3 4 5 6 The cleanliness of your block 1 2 3 4 5 6 The security of your block 1 2 3 4 5 6 Neighbourhood Management 42. [SSHC13] Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in? [INTERVIEWER NOTE: Neighbourhood is defined as the street in which the tenant lives and the immediate surrounding area.] Very satisfied 1 Go to Q44 Fairly satisfied 2 Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 3 Go to Q43 Fairly dissatisfied 4 Very dissatisfied 5 43. (if not satisfied )Can you please explain why you are not satisfied with your landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you live in? 44. What are the best things about living in your neighbourhood? [ASK AS OPEN QUESTION AND CODE RESPONSE – DO NOT PROMPT - record up to 3] 1. 2. 3. 45. And what would you say are the greatest problems or issues in your neighbourhood? [ASK AS OPEN QUESTION AND CODE RESPONSE – DO NOT PROMPT - record up to 3] 1. 2. 3. Rent and benefits 46. [SSHC25] Taking into account the accommodation and services your landlord provides, to what extent do you think your rent represents value for money? Is it… Very good 1 Go to Q48 Fairly good 2 Neither good nor poor 3 Go to Q47 Fairly poor 4 Very poor 5
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71 47. Can you please explain why you say that value for money for your rent is not good? 48. Does your household currently receive housing benefit?/Universal Credit? Yes, Full housing benefit 1 Yes, Partial housing benefit 2 Yes Universal Credit 3 Don’t receive housing benefit 4 Don’t know 5 49. Is there any help you may require with maintaining rent payments? Budget support 1 Advice on bank accounts 2 Regular reminders to pay 3 None 4 Other, please specify 5 50. If you have ever spoken to Renfrewshire Council Housing Staff about money advice, how helpful was the advice and assistance given? Very helpful 1 Slightly helpful 2 Not very helpful 3 Not helpful at all 4 Not applicable – not sought money advice 5 Services Priorities and Improvements 51. What do you think is the best thing about the Housing Service that Renfrewshire Council provides? [PROBE FULLY] 52. If you were to recommend a key area for improvement for the Housing Service that Renfrewshire Council provides, what would it be? [PROBE FULLY]
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72 53. Is there anything else you would like to say about your home and/or services your landlord provides? [INTERVIEWER: PROBE FULLY AND WRITE IN BELOW] About You and Your Household Finally, I’d like to ask some questions about you and your household. Please be assured that these questions are completely confidential, and they will only be used for analysis purposes to see if there are differences in the views between different tenants. 54. Which of these are you? Tenant of this home 1 Tenant’s partner/ spouse 2 55. What is your age? 16-24 1 25-34 2 35-44 3 45-54 4 55-64 5 65-74 6 75+ 7 Prefer not to say 8 56. Which of the following best describes how you think of yourself? Male 1 Female 2 In another way 3 57. How would you describe the composition of your household? One adult under 60 1 One adult aged 60 or over 2 Two adults both under 60 3 Two adults both over 60 4 Two adults, at least one 60 or over 5 Three or more adults, 16 or over 6 1 parent family with children at least 1 under 16 7 2 parent family with children at least 1 under 16 8 Other (please specify) 9 58. Does anyone living in this household have any long term illness, health problem or disability which limits their daily activities or the work they can do (including problems due to old age)? Yes 1 Go to Q59 No 2 Go to Q60 59. What is the nature of their disabilities? Mental ill health 1 Mobility/ physical disabilities 2
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73 Learning difficulties 3 Difficulties with sight 4 Difficulties with hearing 5 Dementia 6 Being frail due to old age 7 HIV/ AIDS 8 Drug/ Alcohol dependency 9 Other (please write in) 10 Don’t know 11 60. Renfrewshire Council monitors the ethnic origin of its tenants to ensure it provides a quality service to all members of the community who require it. Can you tell me which of the following groups you consider you belong to? WHITE White Scottish 1 White Other British 2 White Irish 3 Gypsy/ Traveler 4 Polish 5 Any other white ethnic group (please specify) 6 MIXED OR MULTIPLE ETHNIC GROUPS Any mixed or multiple ethnic groups (please specify) 7 ASIAN, ASIAN SCOTTISH OR ASIAN BRITISH Pakistani, Pakistani Scottish or Pakistani British 8 Indian, Indian Scottish or Indian British 9 Bangladeshi, Bangladeshi Scottish or Bangladeshi British 10 Chinese, Chinese Scottish or Chinese British 11 Other (please specify) 12 AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN OR BLACK African, African Scottish or African British 13 Caribbean, Caribbean Scottish or Caribbean British 14 Black, Black Scottish or Black British 15 Other (please specify) 16 OTHER ETHNIC GROUP Arab, Arab Scottish or Arab British 17 Any other group (please specify) 18 THANK YOU AND CLOSE
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74 Appendix 2 Technical Report Summary
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75 TECHNICAL REPORT SHEET – QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH Project number P1411 Project name Renfrewshire Council Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 Objectives of the research The aim of the survey was to seek tenants’ views on the services Renfrewshire Council’s Housing Service provides and how well it performs these services and to help identify areas where the service can be improved. Specifically the research will provide customers views on the following: Overall satisfaction The quality of information provided Quality of accommodation Contribution to the neighbourhood How the Council deals with anti-social behaviour Tenant involvement/ opportunities for participation Value for money. Target population Tenants of Renfrewshire Council Description of sample frame/ source and validation methods if applicable Database was provided by Renfrewshire Council containing 10927 tenants with name, address and telephone number and email addresses where available. Sampling method (probability or non- probability) and quotas used A representative sample was drawn across geographical areas to ensure coverage of all stock types. Sample units drawn 7057 Target sample size The aim was to achieve 1200 interviews Achieved sample size and reasons if target not achieved A total of 1,223 tenant interviews were achieved. Date of fieldwork Interviewing took place between the 11th of April and the 23rd of May 2024. Data collection method Interviews were undertaken with the tenant or their partner by telephone. All responses were recorded electronically on tablet, entered directly into our SNAP survey software package. Response rate and definition and method of how calculated 17% (1223 interviews from a sample of 7057)
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76 Questionnaire length c. 10-15 mins Any incentives? No Number of interviewers 18 interviewers were working on this. Interview/ self- completion validation methods 5% of telephone interviews were validated using remote listening. Showcards or any other materials used? Not applicable Weighting procedures (if applicable) Not applicable Estimating and imputation procedures (if applicable) Not applicable Reliability of findings and methods of statistical analysis if applicable Data accurate overall to +/-2.6% for tenants based upon a 50% estimate at the 95% confidence level NB If publishing any results please ensure that any conclusions or data reported are adequately supported by the data provided in this report.