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Large council gets 26% satisfaction score for complaint-handling after TSM survey
A large council received a satisfaction score of 26% for its complaint-handling after it changed how it asked tenants the question ahead of the new tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs).
According to a report on its housing performance, Sheffield City Council went from 51% to 26% in the last quarter of 2022-23.
It said a change in the way the question is being asked is “partly the reason for this drop”, as “only tenants who have made a formal complaint in the past year are now asked this in line with RSH [Regulator of Social Housing] requirements”.
The TSMs, which social landlords were obliged to start collecting from April, are a major part of the English regulator’s new consumer-focused regime.
Of the 22 measures, which cover a range of issues including repairs, complaint-handling and resident engagement, 10 must be answered by social landlords, with the remaining 12 perception questions to be answered by tenants.
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According to the regulator’s new rules, all tenant perception surveys must include the question: ‘Have you made a complaint to your landlord in the last 12 months?’
And if so, ‘How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your landlord’s approach to complaint-handling?’
The council report, which is going before Sheffield Council’s housing policy committee on Thursday, covers the period between January and March.
The report stated: “Tenant satisfaction with the handling of complaints has fallen to 26% in quarter 4. This has dipped from 51% in quarter three.
“A change in the way that this question is being asked is partly the reason for this drop – only tenants who have made a formal complaint in the past year are now asked this in line with RSH requirements.
“The housing and neighbourhoods service have been working alongside the corporate complaints teams in 2022-23 to improve staff access and training, data recording and response rates.”
This comes after an analysis by Housemark of 26 London councils found that different survey methods can produce different results.
Those that only used online surveys received an overall tenant satisfaction of between 35% and 45%, compared with a likely 15 percentage point higher score if had they done it over the phone.
The research also showed that overall tenant satisfaction is down significantly on two years ago.
According to its report, Sheffield Council received an overall tenant satisfaction rate of 63%.
Elsewhere in the report, it emerged that the number of homeless presentations and acceptances by the council in 2022-23 were at their “highest ever levels”.
“By the end of quarter four there had been more than 4,000 homeless presentations across the year.
“There were around 500 more presentations in 2022-23 than in the previous year, reflecting the increase in demand we are currently seeing across Sheffield.
“Councils across England are reporting similar rises in homeless presentations, with the ongoing cost of living crisis being among reported reasons for this,” the report said.
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