Tenant satisfaction has risen for the first time in years according to the latest annual analysis from Housemark.
Data from Housemark’s Tenant Satisfaction Measures for 2024/25 saw improvements as landlords responded to the new era of consumer regulation with improved services, stronger complaint handling and increased investment in repairs.
After hitting a five-year low in 2023/24, overall tenant satisfaction has climbed to 72.5%, up from 71.3% as reported by the regulator last year. While improved survey methodology plays a role, Housemark’s data shows that genuine performance improvements in repairs, safety and communication are driving the turnaround.
The results are based on data from 217 registered providers in England, covering 2.6 million homes.
The strongest performance gains were recorded in repairs. Tenant satisfaction with the overall repairs service rose to 73.9% while time taken to complete repairs improved to 69.9%. Landlords completed approximately 400,000 additional repairs in 2024/25 compared to the previous year, which Housemark estimates increased landlords’ investment by around £80million.
This investment appears to be paying off. Emergency repairs completed within target increased to 96%, while non-emergency completions rose to 83%. A slight year-on-year improvement in reported compliance with the Decent Homes Standard was recorded, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen data capture and inspection processes in response to increased regulatory scrutiny.
Complaint handling, typically the weakest area of satisfaction, showed some signs of progress. The number of Stage 1 complaints recorded by landlords rose by 18% to around 200,000, the highest volume to date. Satisfaction with complaint handling increased to 35.3%, up three percentage points on the previous year.
Housemark attributes the rise in complaints not to declining service standards but to greater transparency and consistency in reporting, driven by landlords working to meet the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
The data also shows that landlords with high rates of complaints escalation and Housing Ombudsman maladministration record lower tenant satisfaction scores. Where the Ombudsman found maladministration in more than 75% of investigated cases, overall satisfaction rates were six points lower than average.
Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “Twelve months ago we reported that overall satisfaction was at a five-year low and predicted that the impact of the sector’s renewed focus on core services would begin to show within 18 months. These results confirm that. Repairs satisfaction is improving, more complaints are being addressed in line with regulatory expectations and the relationship between performance and perception is starting to strengthen.”
“This year’s results reflect the scale of change now underway across social housing. Landlords are responding to increased scrutiny and rising tenant expectations by making real improvements on the ground. These changes take time to translate into higher satisfaction scores, but the early signs are encouraging. For organisations that remain proactive, transparent and focused on delivery, the opportunity to build back tenant trust is there.”
