The early findings from Housemark’s 2024/25 Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) show a sector that is hopefully beginning to rebuild trust and improve the overall customer experience. But while the upward trends are encouraging, the data also highlights where more work is needed.

A Welcome Shift in Sentiment – But Consistency is Key

Overall tenant satisfaction has risen to 72.5%, reversing a multi-year decline. This is undoubtably a positive signal that landlords are responding to regulatory pressure and are recognising the importance of tenant expectations.

What’s needed next:

  • We need to avoid complacency and maintain any improvements by embedding service quality into day-to-day operations, not just compliance exercises.
  • There needs to be a greater focus on consistency across regions and landlord types. Smaller landlords and those outside London tend to score higher—larger and urban landlords should explore tailored, localised service models.
  • We have to make better use of real-time feedback loops to monitor satisfaction continuously, not just annually.

Communication: The Unsung Hero of Satisfaction

Landlords who keep tenants informed, listen to their views, and treat them with respect consistently outperform others. Communication is now the third most important driver of satisfaction, after safety and repairs.

What’s needed next:

  • Landlords need to invest in more proactive communication—not just reactive updates. Let’s get to a place where tenants know what’s happening before they ask.
  • We must train our frontline staff  to be more empathetic and engage in active listening. We often hear about ‘soft skills’ in management and leadership.  These soft skills are critical to building trust.  Being sympathetic is not enough – being empathetic is key.
  • Embrace multiple channels (SMS, email, in-person, social media) to reach tenants in ways that suit them best.  Co-create communication strategies with tenants to ensure relevance and clarity.

Complaints: A Window into Organisational Culture

Complaint volumes rose by 18%, but there is a strong argument that this perhaps reflects better recording rather than worsening service. That said, satisfaction with complaint handling remains low at 35.3% – consistently the lowest of all TSM measures.

What’s needed next:

  • I say it every time I present TSM data to clients – we need to treat complaints as opportunities, not threats. The data confirms this – tenants that score complaint handling highly are highly satisfied at an overall level and are more often than not more satisfied than those who haven’t even made a complaint in the first place. Analyse the data to identify root causes and use them to drive service improvements.
  • Improve Stage 2 resolution and quickly. Escalated complaints correlate with lower satisfaction, so resolving issues early is crucial.
  • Close the feedback loop—let tenants know how their complaint led to change.
  • Benchmark and learn from high-performing peers.

Shared Owners Still Left Behind

Shared ownership satisfaction remains stubbornly low at 51.4%, nearly 20 points below rented tenants. This group often feels disconnected due to fewer service interactions and unclear value for money.

What’s needed next:

  • Clarify the landlord’s role in shared ownership. Many shared owners are unsure what they’re paying for.
  • Tailor engagement strategies—don’t treat shared owners like general needs tenants; they’re not.
  • Improve transparency around service charges, repairs responsibilities, and complaint processes.
  • Create dedicated service teams or contact points for shared owners to improve responsiveness.

Repairs: The Cornerstone of Perception

Repairs satisfaction rose to 74%, and performance improved despite rising costs and demand. Repairs remain the strongest driver of overall satisfaction.

What’s needed next:

  • Maintain investment in repairs infrastructure and workforce capacity.
  • Improve communication around repairs—tenants want to know when, how, and who will carry out the work.
  • Track satisfaction at the job level, not just annually, to catch issues early.

Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB): A Perception Challenge

Satisfaction with ASB handling remains low at 60.1%, despite stable case volumes. The issue is less about direct experience and more about how tenants perceive their landlord’s role in community safety.

What’s needed next:

  • Improve visibility of ASB action—tenants need to see that their landlord is taking issues seriously.
  • Standardise ASB reporting to ensure consistency across the sector.
  • Partner with local agencies to tackle ASB holistically and communicate joint efforts clearly.
  • Use perception surveys to understand how safe tenants feel, not just how many cases are logged.

Experience is the New Compliance

The 2024/25 TSM results show that regulatory compliance is no longer enough. The landlords who will thrive are those who embed customer experience into every layer of their organisation—from boardroom strategy to frontline service.

Want to lead the way? Start by listening, communicating, and acting with empathy. Because when tenants feel heard, respected, and safe, satisfaction, and trust, will follow.