Repairs and maintenance 'top priority' for tenants as TSA publishes results of National Conversation

The 27,000 social housing tenants from across the country who took part in the first phase of the Tenant Service Authority’s (TSA) groundbreaking National Conversation have listed getting repairs and maintenance right, ensuring homes are up to date and in a decent condition, tackling anti-social behaviour and being involved in decisions as top priorities for their landlords.

The TSA will now use this feedback to propose new standards for landlords – the first to ever be developed – to help improve services for tenants.

The report outlining the findings of the largest ever consultation with social housing tenants in England was officially launched today by Peter Marsh, TSA Chief Executive. 

Key report findings include:

• 81% of tenants listed repairs and maintenance as the top issue that they expected their landlord to get right. This was followed by 39% for health and safety, 37% for security in their neighbourhood, 24% for keeping tenants informed, and 23% for dealing with complaints
• 76% of tenants say they’re satisfied with their landlords. Of this, 32% are very satisfied, while 44% are fairly satisfied. Some 13% are not satisfied at all.
• Tenants consider the issue of choice to be most important for repairs and maintenance (77%) and design of their home (46%)
• Repairs and maintenance, reasonable and affordable rent, keeping homes up to date and in decent condition, dealing with anti-social behaviour, and enforcing standards should be key priorities for the TSA and Government.

Today also sees the launch of the second phase of the National Conversation, with the TSA publishing a discussion paper on the draft standards that will apply to all social housing landlords in England from 2010.

The standards focus on six key themes – the services offered to tenants which include repairs and maintenance and neighbourhood management, tenant empowerment and involvement, the tenancy agreement which covers rents and allocations, governance, viability and value for money.

Peter Marsh said: “This groundbreaking consultation highlights the needs of both existing and future social housing tenants and we have taken on board the key findings from this research in the design of our proposed standards.

"Tenants have told us that they want to be involved in decisions about their homes, and they want good communication from their landlord. They want choice, particularly in relation to the repairs and maintenance service and the design of their homes. The best landlords already excel in these areas and our task now is to encourage others to learn from the best and in doing so, improve the lives of millions of residents in England.

“Security in their neighbourhood and health and safety for tenants were also identified as areas of concern. Tenants have also said they want reasonable and affordable rents and consideration needs to be given as to how to best address this, including greater communication on how rents are set, how rent money is being spent by landlords and clarity over the TSA’s role as regulator in this process. 

“But our approach is about far more than just setting standards. Fundamentally we want to see a renewed focus of landlords engaging with their tenants and both working together so that tenants and those in housing need get the best possible deal.”

Copies of the report and discussion paper are available on the TSA website at www.tenantservicesauthority.org

The consultation on the draft standards runs until September 8 2009. The final phase will be a statutory consultation which will be launched in the Autumn 2009.