Housemark’s tailored TSM survey approach helped Chisel Housing build trust with tenants, understand service delivery in greater depth and drive a 10% rise in overall satisfaction with standout improvements in key performance areas.
Chisel Housing is a values-led housing association with a distinctive identity and a long-standing commitment to community. With around 200 homes across South East London and Brighton, many of which are timber-frame or self-built, Chisel provides housing with a difference. It is small in scale but big on purpose, with a focus on supporting residents and improving services in a way that reflects its ethos.
Although the introduction of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) created a formal framework for capturing resident views, Chisel has long recognised the importance of understanding how tenants experience its services.
For Chisel, the TSM process was not just about compliance but an opportunity to build on its existing values and strengthen the way it listens, learns and improves. It was important to gain an honest picture of what was working well and where changes were needed in a way that truly reflected the character and priorities of the organisation.
Miles Lanham, who joined as CEO in 2023, wanted a partner who would take the time to understand Chisel’s size, structure and ambitions and offer more than just a templated approach to tenant insight.
“We needed a TSM approach that made sense for an organisation like ours,” says Miles. “Something that reflected our reality, gave our Board useful insight and showed residents we’re listening and improving.”
SM surveys present a particular challenge for smaller landlords. With a small number of residents, standard survey methods can deliver skewed or misleading results. Miles had seen this happen before, where a handful of responses in a single borough could distort the overall picture.
Chisel wanted an approach that would deliver clarity and confidence. The team was also keen to avoid overcomplicated analysis that might lose relevance at such a local scale. Most importantly, the survey had to deliver real value by pointing to areas of strength and areas where services could improve.
Chisel was also looking for a way to embed the process into its wider goals. The approach had to reflect the organisation’s social values, provide suitable benchmarking for a housing association of its size and offer actionable insight to guide future decisions.
Putting Chisel Housing’s context into action
Housemark delivered a comprehensive TSM survey programme for Chisel, working closely with the team to design and run the project from end to end. This included survey design, telephone interviews, data analysis, peer benchmarking and a Board-level presentation of the results.
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Housemark tailored the methodology to suit Chisel’s context. Telephone interviews were carried out by individuals who face barriers to employment, which aligned strongly with Chisel’s values and added an important social value dimension to the work. The result was not only a compliant survey but one that residents responded to positively.
“Residents told us the interviewers were kind, respectful and easy to talk to,” says Miles. “That human approach added huge value.”
Housemark also focused the analysis on what mattered most to Chisel. With small numbers, statistical accuracy can be difficult to guarantee, so Housemark provided benchmarking for small London landlords and focused on the drivers of satisfaction that were most relevant to Chisel’s circumstances. Key insights were highlighted clearly and shared with the board by Housemark Principal Consultant Chris Elliott, who presented the findings in person.
“Rather than just reporting what the scores were, Housemark helped us understand why those scores looked the way they did and what could be done in response,” says Miles.
Chisel saw strong results across multiple TSMs, confirming the positive direction of travel following recent service improvements. The results also provided a clear roadmap for where to focus next:
• Overall satisfaction rose to 57.1 percent, a 10.1 percentage point increase year on year
• Satisfaction with handling of anti-social behaviour rose by 47.2 percent
• Repairs satisfaction increased by 20 percent
• Chisel’s score for treating tenants with fairness and respect reached 83.3 percent, the highest in its peer group and higher than the national median
These results helped validate the progress Chisel had made while identifying specific service areas needing attention. For example, lower satisfaction with communal areas led to a proposal for a new service charge to fund regular cleaning and maintenance on self-build estates.
The survey process has also contributed to a wider shift in the organisation’s relationship with residents.
“We’re showing tenants that we take feedback seriously and that we’re improving,” says Miles. “That builds trust and encourages people to come to us with problems rather than staying silent.”
Chisel has published the results via newsletters and on its website and is planning to work with Housemark again for future surveys.
“Housemark engaged with us on our level,” says Miles. “Their approach was thoughtful, values-driven and helped us deliver real impact. I’d recommend it to any small housing provider looking for more than just numbers.”
Ready to go beyond compliance and truly elevate your customer experience? With tenant satisfaction now firmly in the spotlight, it’s time to listen, resolve and evolve. Housemark’s CX consultancy helps you improve survey design, communicate results clearly, and act on insights, unlocking meaningful change across your organisation. Find out how you can achieve results like Chisel and get in touch.