Item 8 - Tenant Satisfaction Survey
West Dunbartonshire Council · 26 February 2025
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Chief Officer - Housing and Employability Housing and Communities Committee - 26 February 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 1. Purpose 1.1 This purpose of this report is to provide members of the Housing and Communities Committee with the results of a comprehensive Tenant Satisfaction Survey that has been carried out, which will be reported to the Scottish Housing Regulator as part of our 2024/25 Scottish Social Housing Charter requirements. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Housing and Communities Committee: (i) Note the contents of this report and recognise the significant increase in the level of Tenant Satisfaction across all areas of the housing and homelessness services from the previous survey carried out in 2022; (ii) Acknowledge the efforts of staff across housing and homelessness services and tenant representatives in achieving such positive tenant satisfaction results; (iii) Note that this satisfaction data will be reported to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) as part of our Annual Return on the Charter (ARC); (iv) Note and invite the Chief Officer, Housing and Employability to ensure the tenants spending priorities sourced through the survey feedback noted at 4.28 of this report is reflected in the delivery of investment priorities over the next 3-year period; (v) Agree that these key findings are shared with the West Dunbartonshire Tenants and Residents Organisation (WDTRO), Scrutiny Panel and tenants more widely via the spring edition of Housing News; and (vi) Note that all service areas across housing will be tasked to use the full survey report as part of our wider assessment of performance which will inform actions that form part of our broader Charter Improvement Plan. 3. Background 3.1 The Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) requires all social landlords to have robust and up to date customer satisfaction information and to report this annually to the Scottish Housing Regulator via the Annual Return on the Charter. Item 8
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3.2 In order to meet this obligation, it was agreed by the Housing, Environment and Economic Development Committee in November 2013 that a comprehensive tenant satisfaction survey be carried out on an annual basis for the duration of the first 4 full years of the Charter, when it would then be reviewed by the Scottish Housing Regulator and Scottish Government. Following this review, it was subsequently agreed in partnership with tenants and residents’ organisations that a comprehensive tenant satisfaction survey would be carried out every second year. 4. Main Issues 4.1 The main aim of the Tenant Satisfaction Survey was to seek tenant views in relation to the housing landlord services provided by the Council to identify areas where the service can be improved. 4.2 The survey was designed to meet the guidance provided by the Scottish Housing Regulator regarding assessing tenant satisfaction. As such, the survey was designed to ensure that: The questions asked covered the key tenant satisfaction Charter Indicators in the way which is prescribed. The sample was designed to meet the guidance provided by the Scottish Housing Regulator which states that as a minimum, data accurate to +/-5% should be achieved and the sample should be designed to be representative of the organisation’s tenant population. 4.3 The IPSOS MORI guidance prepared on behalf of the Regulator debates the use of a range of different methodologies for carrying out large scale tenant satisfaction surveys, including postal, online, telephone and face to face survey methods. 4.4 Given the requirements and the desire to obtain detail around reasons for any reported dissatisfaction with services, it was decided that the tenant survey was carried out utilising an interviewer led face to face interview methodology. The main benefits of this were: Utilising an interviewer led methodology allows us to maximise the response rate; This 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; and This methodology facilitates a high quality of survey output as it allows the interviewer to build up a rapport with the participant ensuring that survey questions can be explained thoroughly and that the questionnaire is answered in full. 4.5 A total of 500 interviews were carried out between 9 September and 21 October 2024, providing data accurate to +/-3.4%. Analysis of the participant profile 3.3
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shows that the survey sample is broadly representative of our tenant base by geographic location, property size and property type. There was therefore no requirement for the survey data to be weighted and the data should be considered the most robust available in relation to outlining tenant views. 4.6 The table below shows the results for the six Charter Indicators that this survey is used as the source for and outlines our performance trend since 2019, highlights the change in satisfaction levels since the last survey carried out in 2022 and compares our results with the 2023/24 Scottish average figure for local authorities for these key measurements: West Dunbartonshire Council Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 Indicator 2019 2022 2024 Change 2023/24 LA average ARC 1: % of tenants satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord 78.5% 61.3% 87.0% +25.7% 79.5% ARC 2: % of tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed about services and decisions 85.7% 75.8% 86.8% +11.0% 82.9% ARC 5: % of tenants satisfied with opportunities to participate in their landlord’s decision making 83.9% 69.2% 87.2% +18.0% 80.9% ARC 7: % of existing tenants satisfied with the quality of their home 76.6% 62.7% 87.8% +25.1% 79.1% ARC 13: % of tenants satisfied with the management of the neighbourhood they live in 78.5% 62.7% 86.0% +23.3% 78.9% ARC 25: % of tenants who feel that the rent for their property represents good value for money 76.8% 60.5% 85.6% +25.1% 79.1% Overall Satisfaction 4.7 The survey opened by asking respondents how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with the overall service provided by West Dunbartonshire Council as their landlord. A significant majority of tenants (87%) are satisfied with the housing service overall, the Scottish local authority average for this measure is 79.5%. Only 4% are dissatisfied, down from 28% who reported being dissatisfied in 2022. 4.8 Analysis of the responses for overall tenant satisfaction by housing type illustrates some degree of variation, e.g. 92.3% satisfied for tenants living in semi-detached (houses and bungalows) to 85.1% satisfaction for those living in multi-storey flats. 4.9 There is some degree of variation in satisfaction with the overall service provided by geographic location, with the highest satisfaction being reported by residents in Alexandria (90.5% satisfied), followed by Dumbarton (86.2% satisfied) and Clydebank (85.4% satisfied). Tenant Participation and Engagement 4.10 In 2024, 86.8% of tenants said their landlord was good at keeping them informed about services and decisions, the Scottish local authority
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average for this measure is 82.9%. Only 3.4% said that the Council was poor on this measure, down from 24% in 2022. 4.11 Most tenants (87.2%) are satisfied with the opportunities to participate in decision making, The Scottish local authority average for this measure is 80.9%. Only 1.4% are dissatisfied (11.4% of tenants are neutral on this question answering ‘neither-nor’). 4.12 Around three in four tenants (74.6%) said they were not interested in becoming involved in the decision making of their landlord, whilst 8.6% said they were already involved. As to the other barriers to getting involved, work commitments (7.1% of all responses), childcare commitments (4.5%) and tenants’ health/disability (4.3%) are the three main reasons given by tenants for not wishing to get involved in the housing service’s decision making. Housing Quality 4.13 Most tenants (87.2%) are satisfied with housing quality, the Scottish local authority average for this measure is 80.9%. Only 2.4% of tenants reported being dissatisfied, down from 27% in 2022. 4.14 There is some degree of variation in satisfaction with housing quality by property type with the highest satisfaction found amongst tenants living in semi-detached properties (97.5%) and terraced houses (91.7%), and lower satisfaction rates reported by those living in multi-storey flats (87.8%) and those living in tenements (83.3%). 4.15 Most tenants (91.8%) are satisfied that the Council provides them with a home that is safe and secure, with a lower majority of 62.8% stating that they find it easy or fairly easy to afford to heat their home, with 8.2% saying this is difficult. 4.16 One of ten tenants (10.0%) report being aware of damp and mould in their property, 88.6% are not aware and 1.4% don’t know. Of those tenants who are aware of damp and mould, most (76%) have reported this issue to the Council whereas 24% have not. Amongst those tenants that have reported damp and mould, 57.9% are waiting on the Council to address the issue whilst 42.1% say that the damp and mould problem has returned. 4.17 Tenants are who are aware of damp and mould are less likely to be satisfied with the quality of their home (68.0% satisfied) when compared to tenants who are not aware of this type of problem (90% satisfied). Neighbourhood management 4.18 Almost nine in ten tenants (86%) are satisfied with neighbourhood management, the Scottish local authority average for this measure is 78.9%. Only 2.4% of tenants reported being dissatisfied, down from 27% in 2022.
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4.19 Satisfaction with neighbourhood management varies by area with 94.0% of tenants living in Dumbarton satisfied, whilst the figure for Alexandria is 88.3% and for Clydebank is 81.0%. Value for Money 4.20 Almost nine in ten tenants (85.6%) feel that the rent for their property represents good value for money, the Scottish local authority average for this measure is 79.1%. Only 2.6% say that the rent that they pay is poor value for money, down from 15% in 2022 (11.8% answered ‘neither good nor poor’ value). 4.21 In relation to property type, tenants living in semi-detached homes (97.4%) and 4-in-a-block properties (86.6%) are the most likely to say their rent represents good value for money, with those the least likely to say so being tenants living in multi-storey flats (82.4%) and those living in tenements (78.8%). 4.22 Rent value for money by tenant profile shows that amongst the most positive tenants on this measure are retired tenants (95.1% say rent is good value), single person households (87.8%) and homes that do not include children (86.9%). Amongst the least positive tenants are those with children in home (82.8% say rent is good value), tenants who are aged 16 to 34 (82.4%) and those classed as other not working (75.5%). 4.23 Tenants who said that rent was poor value for money (2.6%) or neither good nor poor value (11.8%) were asked to say how value for money could be improved and the results of this enquiry show that internal (e.g. Kitchens/bathrooms) property improvements (28.0% of all comments) and external (e.g.; windows/roofs) upgrades (21.3%) are the two main value for money improvements. A lower proportion (19%) stated that reducing the annual rent increase would be their preference. 4.24 Tenant perceptions of rent affordability (based on the responses of those who pay full or part rent) shows that on average, most tenants (66.2%) said that rent was very or fairly easy to afford. Repairs service 4.25 The satisfaction data relating to repairs for our ARC submission is sourced via the existing exit surveys (as per the technical guidance). However, we also use the opportunity in this representative survey to ask tenants about their satisfaction with the repairs service and the results are outlined below: West Dunbartonshire Council Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2024 Indicator 2019 2022 2024 Change 2023/24 LA average % of tenants satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service 74.6% 67.7% 90.2% +22.5% 86.7% Data from service exit surveys and not the comprehensive Tenant Satisfaction Survey is used to report performance for ARC Indicator 12
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4.26 For tenants whose homes have been repaired in the last year, 90.2% are satisfied with the last repair whilst 4.9% are dissatisfied. In 2022, 67.7% of tenants were satisfied with their last property repair, whilst the Scottish average figure for local authorities is 86.7% satisfied. This increase in the level of satisfaction with the repairs service is broadly reflected in the existing exit surveys carried out in real time. 4.27 The comprehensive survey provided the opportunity to ask tenants about their satisfaction with different elements of the repairs service. Again, feedback is positive, with all elements of the service having a satisfaction level of over 85% (the highest being 91.5% of tenants saying that are satisfied that they can report a repair easily, whilst the lowest is 86.6% of tenants saying they are satisfied with the time between a repair and the repair being completed). Spending priorities 4.28 The survey highlighted the fact that cost pressures exist and asked tenants to outline what their most important spending priorities for the future were within this context. Feedback from this question overwhelmingly shows that the two top spending priorities for tenants are: A responsive and high-quality repair service; and Building new Council homes. There is low support from tenants for priority spending in areas such as: Environmental improvement works (bin areas/paths); Garden tidy schemes; and Open space maintenance Summary and Improvement actions 4.29 Tenant satisfaction with the Council’s housing service has improved substantially since the last survey carried out in 2022, with all the ARC indicators reporting significantly higher satisfaction levels and all now higher than the LA average reported in 2023/24. 4.30 The design of the survey meant that any tenants who expressed dissatisfaction were asked to expand about the reasons for this. Tenants who were dissatisfied with the service overall or who answered ‘neither satisfied nor dissatisfied’ were asked what improvements were needed to provide a better housing service. The three main improvements requested by this minority of tenants (12.4%) are to: Upgrade the inside of the home (30.8% of tenant comments). Upgrade the outside of the home (19.2% of tenant comments). Improve the repair service (13.5% of tenant comments).
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4.31 All service areas across housing will be tasked to use the full survey report as part of our wider assessment of performance which will inform actions that form part of our broader Charter Improvement Plan. 5. People Implications 5.1 Developing appropriate service responses to inform our broader Charter Improvement Plan will be managed from within existing staffing resources. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 There are no financial and procurement implications. Any improvement actions will be resourced within existing resource allocation and budget. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 There is a risk that failure to have a comprehensive approach toward Customer Satisfaction and toward benchmarking as part of our wider response to the Scottish Social Housing Charter, would attract an adverse reaction from the Scottish Housing Regulator. 8 Environmental Sustainability 8.1 The delivery of our housing maintenance programme is part of our current and future approach to strategic housing asset management will continue to prioritise a ‘zero carbon’ approach to decision making and deliverability and this will be done the aims of the Housing Asset Management Strategy and the Council’s Climate Change Strategy. 9. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 9.1 The proposals do not alter any existing policy or pattern of service delivery and so is not considered to require an equalities impact assessment. 10. Consultation 10.1 The findings from the tenant satisfaction survey will be presented to tenant representatives and to tenants and staff more broadly. 11. Strategic Assessment 11.1 The proposals contained in this report directly address all the Council’s strategic priorities. The investment in, and provision of attractive affordable housing will also indirectly support the objective of economic growth and employability through supporting employment and improving place attractiveness.
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Peter Barry Chief Officer Housing and Employability Date: 31 January 2025 __________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: John Kerr – Housing Development and Homelessness Manager, Housing Development and Homelessness, telephone: 07793717981, email: John.Kerr@west- dunbarton.gov.uk Stefan Kristmanns, Senior Housing Development Officer, Housing Development and Homelessness Team, Housing and Employability, email: stefan.kristamanns@west- dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: None Background Papers: WDC Tenant Satisfaction Survey report 2024 Wards Affected: All