Download our new tool: Improving tenant satisfaction by working more effectively with communities
In 2025, the context of delivering social housing is extremely challenging. Demands for the services are increasing with more and more people at risk of homelessness. In fact, recent analysis by the FT found that one in every 200 households in the UK is experiencing homelessness.
As the graph below shows, the UK has far higher levels of homelessness compared to other developed countries. Yet building new housing remains extremely difficult due to budget cuts faced by local authorities and housing associations, along with strict planning restrictions. Much of the stock that does currently exist was built decades ago, and is in urgent need of upgrades and repairs — but the same financial pressures mean upgrades are often delayed or impossible.
This can mean that social housing tenants are subjected to difficult living conditions in homes with mould, leaks and overcrowding, with little opportunity for resolution.
With the introduction of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act, new consumer standards for social landlords in England came into effect on April 1, 2024. These changes are part of a drive for stronger regulation and better outcomes for tenants. A key focus of the Act is making sure residents are well listened to and, as much as possible, have their needs addressed. As a result, measuring tenant satisfaction has become an even more vital part part of service provision.
However, from our conversations with frontline housing teams, we understand that there can be hesitation amongst some in engaging with residents in this way. Some staff feel hesitant about engaging with residents when they believe there’s little chance of change. Others have highlighted that it can be challenging to hear from a truly diverse range of voices – often, it’s an homogenous group of residents who are the ones who speak up and have their issues heard, while others remain excluded.
At Neighbourly Lab, we spend our weeks immersed in communities and understand the power of being well listened to for those who have been disempowered and those who are lesser heard. Even when change isn’t possible, feeling seen and having your concerns validated are a vital part of meaningful resident engagement. In our experience, genuine listening often opens the door to new possibilities for change.
We also recognise that working in this way isn’t always easy — especially in today’s challenging environment. That’s why we’re committed to supporting our partners in Housing Associations and Council Housing teams to engage more effectively and inclusively with all residents.
To help with this, we’ve developed a practical tool that walks partners through our proven five-point method for successful resident engagement.
Where it is possible to make change, this needs to be done in a resident led way. Meaning that residents are central to decisions around how changes are made (e.g. through resident scrutiny panels, through co-production workshops) rather than a top-down prescriptive approach. It is also crucial to ensure that diversity of resident experiences and ideas for change are considered in decision making.
We know from our work, that in the past, this has not been the case and, as a result, services work less well for those groups that have been historically excluded. It’s encouraging to see more service providers in the sector confronting this reality and attempting to address it!
If you’re interested in exploring how we might support your team to work more effectively with residents, then please get in touch with Alex alex@neighbourlylab.com for further information.