Waverley Borough Council’s latest Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) results show more residents are feeling positive about their homes and the services they receive, with overall satisfaction rising to 77%, up from 70% previously.
The results reflect real progress in the areas that matter most to tenants; safe, well-maintained homes, reliable repairs, and respectful day-to-day support.
Residents rated safe homes (82%) and well-maintained homes (79%) among the strongest areas, while satisfaction with the repairs service has improved to 75%. More tenants also said they feel treated fairly and with respect (79%), and better informed about the services that affect them (73%). These improvements reflect ongoing work by housing teams to strengthen services and respond to tenant feedback.
Neighbourhood services remain steady, with satisfaction between 60% and 64%, and residents have highlighted the importance of visible, responsive local support, particularly around anti-social behaviour, communal areas and community engagement.
While complaint handling has improved slightly, it remains the lowest-scoring measure at 29%. This is a challenge being seen across the social housing sector nationally, as expectations around responsiveness, communication and outcomes continue to rise. In response, the council is strengthening its approach by placing greater focus on the individual experience of each complainant, investing in additional resources and staff training, reviewing complaint trends more closely, and improving how actions and outcomes are tracked to ensure learning leads to real service improvements.
As part of its commitment to improving how it listens to and supports tenants, the council introduced regular housing drop-in sessions earlier this year, giving tenants and leaseholders the opportunity to meet their housing officer face-to-face without needing an appointment. The informal sessions provide a simple and flexible way for residents to raise concerns, ask questions and get support on a range of housing issues, including repairs, rent and service charges, tenancy matters such as anti-social behaviour, and leasehold queries. They make it easier for residents to access help, get quick answers, and build stronger relationships with their housing officers through direct, face-to-face conversations.
Councillor Paul Rivers, Co-Portfolio Holder for Housing (Operations and Services) , said:
“It’s encouraging to see more of our tenants telling us they are satisfied with their homes and the services they receive. Safe, secure and well-maintained homes are the foundation of everything we do, and these results show the positive difference our teams are making every day.
“Everyone deserves a decent, affordable home where they feel safe, supported and treated with dignity, and we remain committed to delivering high-quality housing for those who rely on us most.
“We know there is still more to do, particularly around listening to residents and improving how we handle complaints, which is why we are creating more opportunities for face-to-face engagement, including our new housing drop-in sessions. These sessions make it easier for tenants and leaseholders to speak directly with their housing officer, raise concerns and get support quickly, and help us continue improving the services we provide.”
Terry Daubney, Chair of Waverley Tenants’ Panel said:
“The Tenants’ Panel welcomes these latest results and recognises the hard work from councillors, officers and panel members to drive improvements, particularly in housing repairs and services. We also acknowledge the pressures involved in meeting the standards and expectations that tenants rightly have.
“This has been a genuine team effort, and it is encouraging to see progress, but we know there is still more to do. We are moving in the right direction and will continue working with the Council to push for further improvements.
“We would encourage more tenants to get involved and share their views. If you would like to learn more about the Tenants’ Panel and how you can take part, please contact Waverley’s Tenant Engagement Officer by emailing TenantInvolvement@waverley.gov.uk."
The Tenant Satisfaction Measures are part of a national system introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing to ensure landlords remain accountable to tenants and focused on delivering safe, high-quality homes and services.
ENDS