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Is the sector in a reputational crisis?

Sponsored by Social

What actions do social landlords need to take to tackle the sector’s reputation problem? A survey by Inside Housing, in association with sector communications specialist Social, endeavoured to find out

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Picture: Sam Mellish
Picture: Sam Mellish
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More than 92% of @Insidehousing survey's respondents are worried about reputation. What can the sector do to change this? #UKhousing @LifeAtSocial (sponsored)

@Insidehousing survey sought to find out if the sector is in reputational crisis. @luke_cross1 @LifeAtSocial says, "What is clear is that there is a wholesale shift in the sector's understanding of how it is perceived" #UKhousing (sponsored)

Bruce Moore, CEO @Housing21 says, "We need to make sure we don't lose sight of being a force for good by helping those in need, holding ourselves accountable and delivering quality services" UKhousing (sponsored) @LifeAtSocial

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People working across social housing are united in their concern about the state of the sector’s reputation, according to new research. The findings, from a joint survey run by Inside Housing and sector communications specialist Social, showed that more than 92% of respondents were worried about reputation, with 55% saying they were ‘very’ concerned.

It comes after almost two years of media and social media scrutiny of incidents of poor housing quality and services. Survey respondents ranked reputational risk as the second most important risk to the sector, just behind the cost of living crisis.

The polling heard from 159 respondents, of which two-thirds work for housing associations, with 22% from local authorities and the rest made up of trade bodies.

Luke Cross, a director at Social who also leads Social’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) practice, Social Invest, says: “What is clear from this survey is that there is a wholesale shift in the sector’s understanding of how it is being perceived.

“This survey crystallises what many in the sector are feeling. At the root of the response is fixing what’s gone wrong – and being clear about what’s changed as a result. But reputation will take longer to fix. It will require a joined-up, sustained effort, that sees a change in the way the sector talks about itself and engages with its stakeholders, not least its residents – being both proud of its social purpose and the contribution it makes to society, but also being really open and honest about the challenges and what it needs to do better.”



The survey asked what was key to improving the sector’s reputation, to which the most common response (60%) was to provide better services, while others suggested more focus on social purpose and positive stories (48%). The third most popular response was for greater resident involvement (47%). This was followed by greater transparency and a more joined-up approach to telling the sector story.

The research showed that the top three priorities were also the areas where landlords felt most confident.

The survey found that nearly eight in 10 respondents planned to spend more on monitoring and understanding how residents perceived them.

But when asked where they felt their organisation would rank with the new tenant satisfaction measures, 78% said they would be in the median or upper quartile.

However, Lisa Nicholls, executive director of operations at Rooftop Housing, says a lack of consistency in quality of homes, service delivery, communication and complaints handling “means [the sector] is sometimes falling short of our own standards and customer expectations”.

She continues: “To address this at a basic level, we need to be clear about our purpose, embrace the spirit of our sector – not just the letter of consumer regulation – live up to our standards and values, demonstrate transparency by addressing our performance challenges, and showcase our ability as capable and willing partners and our positive impact on the lives of tenants.”

Nathan Mallows, director of finance, people and change at Coastline Housing, says: “The communities we serve need us to do just that – serve. That means being humble enough to listen when concerns are raised and honest enough to show up to deal with issues.”

Bringing tenants along on the journey

One of the clearest findings from the survey was in response to the question, ‘Should social landlords co-produce with residents when introducing new policies?’ to which 84% answered ‘yes’.

The theme of co-production is increasingly prevalent in the sector in terms of trust and building a stronger relationship. In July this year, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee published a report, The Regulation of Social Housing, which examined disrepair in the sector and suggested that some providers are “too big and have forgotten their original purpose”.

Our survey showed that 58% of respondents agreed that ‘the size of the organisation matters in influencing the quality of services and resident engagement’. Just 35% disagreed with this statement.



The committee report also suggested that the “commercialisation” of the social housing sector has distanced some landlords from their tenants and from their original social mission. Almost 70% of respondents said the interests of private investors were, or might be, outweighing the welfare of tenants.

On this point, Bruce Moore, chief executive of Housing 21, adds: “The housing association sector is subject to competing pressures to deliver social value and public services, and act commercially.

“We need to make sure these factors are kept in balance and that we don’t lose sight of the importance of using our people, property and financial capacity to be a force for good by helping those in need, holding ourselves accountable and delivering quality services for our residents.

“We should not see safety and sustainability as extra considerations, but as part of our core purpose.

In numbers

84%
Replied ‘yes’ to the question: should social landlords co-produce with residents when introducing new policies?

55%
Stated that association boards should recruit more residents

8%
Thought their engagement with residents on net zero was ‘very good’

38%
Viewed funders as their primary audience for ESG reporting

The net zero and ESG challenge

One aspect of social landlords’ work that will certainly require them to work more closely with residents is the push to reach net zero. Retrofitting existing stock to increase energy efficiency will be incredibly disruptive for residents and effective communication will be key.

Our survey found that just 8% of respondents thought their engagement with residents on net zero was ‘very good’, while 29% thought their communication was ‘good’. This compares to 18% of respondents who said their resident engagement on this topic was ‘poor’.

Linked to the net zero challenge is the way landlords are communicating their ESG commitments, including how they demonstrate performance and manage key risks. More than 100 housing associations have adopted the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing, through which they disclose ESG metrics primarily in a bid to provide disclosures and improve engagement with funders. However, ESG is increasingly being seen as a way to promote transparency among wider stakeholders. Almost two-thirds of respondents said ESG could be a way for the sector to better communicate what it does and what it stands for.

The survey found that just 18% of associations saw residents as the main audience for ESG reporting. By comparison, 38% viewed funders as the primary audience for the reports.

Becki Ord, associate director at Social, adds: “Social housing is, at its heart, a non-profit, purpose-driven sector that exists to help people who are not able to afford the private rented market, or homeownership. This creates a feeling of shared purpose among many in the sector. There is concern at the moment, but the sector’s role in helping people through the cost of living crisis can’t be understated.”