Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
Social Research ¦ Market Research ¦ Behavioural Insight ¦ Evaluation ¦ SROI
The Regulator of Social Housing has now announced the final framework for tenant satisfaction measures (TSM). This follows a large-scale consultation, which M·E·L Research took part in as part of our on-going and long term involvement in housing market research. Below are the key points and implications for housing associations and stock-retained councils, focusing on the perception survey aspects.
If you’d prefer to speak to an expert directly, you can get in touch with our Director for Housing Research, Adam Knight-Markiegi, on 0121 604 4664 or email Adam.Knight-Markiegi@melresearch.co.uk.
There are a few changes from the proposed framework, though not huge ones to the customer satisfaction questions. Some questions are worded slightly differently, such as on repairs, listening and acting on tenant views, and keeping tenants informed. A few questions have been split in two, most notably on a home being well maintained separate to a home being safe. The complaints question will include a filter question to see if the customer has complained in the last 12 months. This is what we typically do with our current perception (STAR) surveys.
There was a choice of neighbourhood question and the Regulator has opted for: “satisfaction that the landlord makes a positive contribution to neighbourhoods”. This is most meaningful and actionable, especially where a landlord manages larger estates. But it’s trickier in mixed ownership areas, with dispersed stock and, arguably, for smaller landlords.
The precise wording of TSM questions is in this document from the Regulator, Appendix 5, whereas this document summarises the key changes from their proposed approach.
You can include other and follow-up questions, not just the 12 TSM tenant perception questions they mandate. These can help your own understanding of customer views, for example, or build up evidence about changes you are making as an organisation. Recently, we’ve been asking more tenants about their mental wellbeing and financial situation, in the wake of the cost of living crisis.
Again, there were few changes to the Regulator’s proposals on the survey approach. For housing providers with 1,000 or more properties, the perception survey must be once a year – although tracker surveys, eg monthly or quarterly, will still be allowed.
The Regulator is interested in low-cost rental accommodation (LCRA), so general needs, sheltered, supported etc combined, and low-cost home ownership (LCHO) – shared ownership in essence – but not leasehold. The margins of error and therefore the sample sizes apply at each of these two stock types.
The sample needed for TSMs is different to STAR, with your stock size used to calculate the sample. This is based on the margin of error, as shown below (at a 95% confidence level):
In terms of the data collection method, the Regulator is happy with a range of different approaches, combined methods and for providers to decide what’s best for your customers. Our mixed method approach is therefore a great way to hear from a range of your residents. This supports the Regulator’s push for representative samples, not skewed ones.
A surprising element is that the Regulator wants TSM data at a group, not subsidiary, level. However, each group and its subsidiaries can decide what is best for them. If housing services, geography, stock type, management etc vary across the group, it may well be useful to carry out more granular surveys at subsidiary level.
Now the final TSM framework has been published, the Regulator expects providers to collect tenant perception data for the year April 2023 to March 2024. They’ll expect that data in the summer of 2024, with that first year of TSM data published that autumn.
For some providers, we’re already asking the proposed TSM questions and will now encourage all our housing customers to adopt the new TSMs, albeit in a transitional way so trend analysis with existing data can continue. This also builds up data to benchmark with other providers now, not simply via the Regulator in two years’ time.
We are already asking TSM questions in perception surveys. We run online, telephone, postal and face-to-face surveys every week, often using a combined approach for best reach. As a Market Research Society Company Partner, we always follow its Code of Conduct.
As well as carrying out TSM surveys, we love to weave in your own data. This helps to tell a richer story, segmenting your customers, for example. We’ve also carried out data validation checks to ensure the information you hold on customers is up-to-date. And during the Covid pandemic, we supported providers by carrying out welfare checks on vulnerable tenants, identifying those who needed extra help.
All our survey approaches can support direct alerts about complaints or low levels of satisfaction, while our in-depth analysis and reporting helps you get the most out of your survey data. Delivering insight sessions to your senior team, bringing in contractors (e.g. repairs) or running workshops with your tenant scrutiny groups all help to turn the data into insight and insight into action to improve services and boost satisfaction.
If you want to talk about your TSM survey, call our Director for Housing Research, Adam Knight-Markiegi, on 0121 604 4664 or email Adam.Knight-Markiegi@melresearch.co.uk.
