tsa existing tenant involvement survey 2008

Existing Tenants Survey 2008 Tenant involvement 1

Existing Tenants Survey 2008 Tenant involvement

2

Contents

Introduction 3

Key findings 4

Options for participation and involvement 6

Opportunities for participation 10

What drives satisfaction with opportunities for participation? 14

Taking account of tenants’ views 17

Conclusion 22

Existing Tenants Survey 2008Tenant involvement

September 2009


The Existing Tenants Survey (ETS) is a large and

comprehensive survey of social housing tenants that

is owned by the TSA. It comprises 19,307 interviews

with general needs tenants, 808 with supported

housing tenants and 1,147 with shared owners.

The interviews lasted 30 minutes on average and

were conducted in the tenants’/shared owners’ own

home. The survey was undertaken by MRUK and

interviews were conducted between August and

October 2008 for tenants, and February to April

2009 for shared owners. The sample was selected

from landlords’ lists using a stratified random

sampling approach.

The ETS was undertaken on behalf of the Housing

Corporation in 1995, 2000 and 2004, comprising

10,000 interviews with housing association tenants

(general needs and supported housing). The same

sampling method and, where appropriate, the same

questions, were used for the 2008 survey. However,

in 2008 the sample was extended to also include

local authority and ALMO tenants.

A series of reports have been produced using ETS

data, each focusing on a key theme or sample.

Full details of the methodology, the questionnaire

and the full set of reports are available on the TSA’s

website:

www.tenantservicesauthority.org

This paper presents findings on tenants’ views on

resident involvement from the ETS 2008. The survey

sought tenants’ views on their landlord’s commitment

to tenant involvement, and on whether and how

would they like to be more involved.

This report was written by Ipsos MORI.

Introduction

4

When tenants were asked about how they wished

to be involved in decisions on housing services, it

is clear that they value a range of options. A fifth

of tenants indicated a preference to feedback

through questionnaires and surveys and site

surgeries and tenants’/residents’ associations

were also commonly mentioned. Tenants not living

on estates particularly favoured feedback through

questionnaires and site surgeries whereas those

living on estates were more inclined to favour

tenants’/residents’ associations as a channel of

influence. Black tenants also favoured tenants’/

residents’ associations as a method to participate

(22% of black tenants preferred involvement

through tenants’/residents’ associations compared

to 13% of all tenants)

Although attracting lower levels of preference,

open days and fun days, annual residents

meetings, tenant representatives on a landlord

board, mystery shopping and focus groups were

all equally valued by tenants. This emphasises the

need for housing associations to develop a wide

portfolio of opportunities for involvement to meet

the varying needs and circumstances

of their tenants

A slight majority of social tenants (53%) were

satisfied with the opportunities their landlord

offered for participation in management and

Key findings

Most tenants were aware of at least some of the

opportunities on offer to them to get involved.

Tenants’/residents’ associations were the most

high profile options (38% of tenants are aware of

this) followed by questionnaires and surveys

(34% are aware)

More information could be provided to tenants who

have recently moved into their homes, as recent

joiners to the sector were much less likely to be

aware of the opportunities available to them than

tenants who were more established in their homes.

They also did not generally feel their views are

taken into account

Housing associations were ahead of other social

landlords in the extent of their tenants’ awareness

of the options available to them to get involved.

ALMO tenants were the most likely to say that

they are unaware of any of the options available to

them (39% of ALMO tenants were not aware of

any of the options compared to 23% of housing

association tenants)

When asked about which methods of involvement

they are aware of, tenants living on estates

primarily focussed their attention on tenants’/

residents’ associations whereas tenants in street-

based properties were aware of a much wider

range of options


decision making but many tenants chose to

express no opinion at all on this

Satisfaction with participation opportunities

amongst housing association tenants has improved

in the last decade, but only marginally, rising from

54% in 1999-2000 to 59% in 2008. Ambivalence

and a reluctance to express an opinion at all on

this issue still prevail

An attachment to the neighbourhood and a sense

of neighbourhood cohesion were key determinants

of whether tenants were interested in, and

satisfied with, their involvement opportunities

London and the south have the tenants who

were the most positive about their involvement

opportunities, with 62% and 58% positive

ratings respectively

There has been a marked and steady decline in

the extent to which housing association tenants

believed their landlord effectively takes their views

into account in making its decisions. In 2008, the

proportion saying their landlord takes their views

into account a lot fell by almost half (from 31% to

just 16%) compared to where it was in 1995

Black tenants are now more positive about their

landlord’s willingness to take their views into

account. Ten years ago, white tenants were more

positive about this, but now the position has

reversed. Asian tenants were less positive than

average a decade ago and remain so. Bangladeshi

tenants in particular were unaware of the

opportunities available to them

6

Most social tenants (70%) were aware of at least

some of the channels available to them to get

involved. Even when presented with a list of options,

the remaining 30% of tenants were unaware of any

of them. Understandably, tenants who had recently

moved into their homes were least aware of the

ways in which they could get involved, with lowest

awareness (56%) among those who moved into

their home in the last year and highest (75%) among

those who have been in their home between six and

20 years.

Levels of awareness by age, understandably, directly

reflect the length of their time in their home, again

rising from 56% among the under 25s to 75%

among those aged 40 to 64. Awareness drops off

among retired tenants, who tend to have been in their

homes the longest, falling to 67% among those aged

65 or older.

ALMO tenants were the least knowledgeable about

the options open to them, while housing association

tenants were the most knowledgeable: 39% of

ALMO tenants knew about none of the options

presented compared to 23% of housing association

tenants. This could, in part, reflect that ALMOs are

typically larger than most social landlords, and more

recently established.

Asian tenants were more likely than average to

report that they were unaware of any of the options.

Although sample sizes are small here, awareness

appears to be particularly low among Bangladeshi

tenants (61% stating they were not aware of any of

the options presented to them). Black tenants were

slightly more aware of the options available than

white tenants.

Of the options presented, the ones that tenants were

most aware of are tenants’/residents’ associations

(38%) and provision of feedback through

questionnaires and surveys (34%).

Options for participation and involvement


Tenants’ awareness of ways to get involvedWhich, if any, of the following ways to get involved are you aware of?

Tenants/residents association

Feedback through surveys

Site surgeries

Tenants on landlord’s board

Focus groups

Open days/fun days

Residents forums

Annual residents meeting

Tenant inspections and audit

Mystery shopping

Setting up own tenants association

Community Chest fund

Other

None of these

38%

34%

20%

18%

17%

17%

17%

16%

13%

12%

12%

7%

2%

Base: 19,307 tenants

8

Although tenants’/residents’ associations were the

most well-known way to get involved, there are

differences in the knowledge of tenants who are

living on an estate compared to those who aren’t.

Tenants in street-based properties were most likely to

be aware of questionnaires and surveys as a way of

getting involved (42%) and fewer (29%) were aware

of tenants’/residents’ associations. For tenants living

on estates, this was reversed, with 42% aware of

tenants’/residents’ associations and 30% aware of

questionnaires and surveys. Tenants living in non-

estate based properties also appeared to be much

more likely to be aware of a wider range of options,

including site surgeries, mystery shopping, focus

groups and tenant inspections and audits.

As for which methods of involvement tenants

preferred, one in two tenants said they were not

interested in any of the options offered. Feedback

through questionnaires and surveys stood out as

the mechanism of most interest to tenants in the

future. One in five tenants said this is of interest to

them whereas around one in seven tenants said site

surgeries or tenants’/residents’ associations were

of interest.


involved in this way. Although several methods for

involvement stood out as being of interest to tenants,

it is also clear that there is an appetite for a variety of

mechanisms to become involved. Developing a wide

portfolio of opportunities for involvement will ensure

that the varying needs and circumstances of tenants

can be met to maximise participation opportunities.

Other methods for involvement attracted a uniformly

but lower level of interest with around one in ten

tenants saying open/fun days, annual residents

meeting with landlord’s board/ senior management

team and becoming tenant representative would be

of interest. Setting up a tenants’ association attracted

the lowest level of interest, with fewer than one

in 20 tenants expressing an interest in becoming

Tenants’ preferences for involvementWhich ways of involvement would be of most interest to you in the future?(Up to three responses unless answered none of these to initial question)

Feedback through surveys

Site surgeries

Tenant/resident association

Open days/fun days

Annual residents meeting

Tenant on landlord’s board

Mystery shopping

Resident focus groups

Community Chest Fund

Resident forums

Tenant inspection and audits

Setting up own tenant association

Other

None of these

1%

20%

14%

13%

9%

9%

9%

8%

8%

6%

5%

5%

4%


10

Although a majority of social tenants (53%) said

they are satisfied with the opportunities offered

by their landlord for participation in management

and decision making, there was also a good deal

of indifference. Four out of ten tenants gave a

neutral response (neither satisfied nor dissatisfied),

or said they have no opinion or do not know.

Ipsos MORI’s qualitative research, undertaken early

in 20091, for the TSA looking at reasons for tenant

involvement, found this indifference had a variety of

underlying causes “which ranged from being perfectly

satisfied with their housing to disempowerment

and social differences”. Provision of good housing

and services was, for some, a reason for not getting

involved; for others apathy was borne out of a sense

that participation did not help to make a difference,

whereas others felt it was the more problematic,

less community oriented, tenants that were least

interested in getting involved.

Housing association tenants were slightly more

positive about their opportunities for participation,

with 59% expressing satisfaction (either very or

fairly satisfied) with their participation opportunities,

compared to 49% of ALMO tenants and 52%

of local authority tenants.

Overall satisfaction with opportunities for participation by landlord type

Housing association LSVT

Local authority ALMO All tenants

Base (5,616) (3,666) (4,998) (5,027) (19,307)

% % % % %

Very satisfied 12 14 13 10 12

Fairly satisfied 47 41 39 39 41

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 21 21 19 22 20

Fairly dissatisfied 5 5 6 4 5

Very dissatisfied 3 3 3 3 3

No opinion/don’t know 13 13 20 22 18

1 Understanding Tenant Involvement, Ipsos MORI, February 2009

Opportunities for participation


There has been some progress over the last

decade in levels of satisfaction with participation

opportunities. Among housing association tenants,

the proportion of tenants who are satisfied has risen

from 54% in 1999-2000 to 59% in 2008.

Very satisfied

Fairly satisfied

Neither satisfied or dissatisfied

Fairly dissatisfied

Very dissatisfied

Don’t know/no opinion

Overall satisfaction with opportunities for participationHousing association tenants only

2008: Thinking about the housing services your landlord provides, how satisfied or dissatisfied

are you with the opportunities for participation in management and decision making?

1999-2000: How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities for you as a tenant to be involved

in the management of your home (and estate)?

Base: Housing association tenants, 10,226 in 1999-2000, 5,616 in 2008

12

Among all social tenants, it is those who have been

in their homes for longer as well as those who

feel an attachment to their neighbourhood who

seemed to be more positive about the opportunities

their landlord offers. Tenants who have lived in

their home for between six and 20 years were the

most satisfied with their opportunities (66%) whilst

satisfaction was lower among new tenants of less

than one year (45%). Similarly, 57% of tenants

who felt their neighbourhood is a good place to live

were satisfied compared to 45% who do not like the

neighbourhood. Clearly, there is interplay between

age and length of time in home and attachment to

neighbourhood, with a similar variation in satisfaction

ranging from 45% among under 25s to 59% among

those aged 55-64.

Overall satisfaction with opportunities for participation by time in home

< 1 year1 to 2 years

3-5 years

6-10 years

11-20years

>20 years

All tenants

Base 1,570 1,848 3,159 4,645 3,825 4,129 (19,307)

% % % % % % %

Very satisfied 10 12 11 10 12 18 12

Fairly satisfied 35 38 41 46 44 37 41

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 23 21 18 21 21 16 20

Fairly dissatisfied 5 4 5 5 5 5 5

Very dissatisfied 3 4 3 3 3 2 3

No opinion/don’t know 24 21 21 16 15 22 19


Overall satisfaction with opportunities for participation by whether feel neighbourhood is a place where people would like to live

Yes No Don’t know All tenants

Base 14,178 3,114 2,015 (19,307)

% % % %

Very satisfied 14 7 8 12

Fairly satisfied 43 38 34 41

Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 19 20 26 20

Fairly dissatisfied 4 9 6 5

Very dissatisfied 2 9 3 3

No opinion/don’t know 19 16 24 19

Indeed, tenants’ views about their neighbourhood

were key to how they feel about their opportunities

for participation. Tenants who saw their local

neighbourhood as a place where people from

different backgrounds get on well together were

more than twice as likely as those that don’t to be

positive about their opportunities for participation

(60% compared with 29%). Those who were

dissatisfied with their landlord generally were, not

surprisingly, also much more likely to have negative

views about their opportunities to participate than

those who were positive (59% compared with just

18%). Similarly, those who thought that their current

form of tenure compares well with other tenures

were also more positive than those who did not

(59% were satisfied with their participation

opportunities compared to 28%).

There were some striking regional differences

in tenants’ views on the subject. Tenants living

in London and the south were considerably more

positive than average (62% and 58% were satisfied

with their participation opportunities, respectively)

and those in the Midlands and the north were the

least positive (45% and 52%, respectively).

14

Key driver analysis (KDA)2, conducted by Ipsos

MORI, has been used to identify some of the

underlying factors that help best explain tenant

satisfaction with opportunities for participation.

The analysis identifies the most significant factors

that are either positively or negatively associated

with a high (or low) level of satisfaction.

The model presented below predicts 34%

of the overall variance in response which means

it is a reasonably strong predictor of satisfaction

with opportunities for participation. As with all such

modelling, there will always be factors, not included

in the survey, which will also influence responses

to this question.

What drives satisfaction with opportunities for participation?

2 Key Driver Analysis is a regression analysis that is used to find the combination of answers which can best explain a target variable (in this case satisfaction with

opportunities for participation).

Top ten drivers of satisfaction with opportunities for participation – all tenants

1. Agree landlord takes views into account when making decisions affecting the neighbourhood

2.06

Overall satisfaction with opportunities for participation

34% of variance explained by the model

2. Agree that your local neighbourhood is a place where people of different backgrounds get on well together

1.34

3. Satisfied with the way your landlord deals with repairs and maintenance

1.28

4. Agree landlord takes views into account when making decisions affecting your home

1.83

5. Satisfied with the design and management of neighbourhood: Places available to meet friends (eg community centre)

1.22

6. Being an HA/LA/ALMO tenant is a good type of housing tenure when compared with other tenures

1.22

7. Aware of tenant inspections and audits as a way of getting involved

0.64

8. Aware of tenant and/ or residents associations as a way of getting involved

1.36

9. Have reported to landlord any repairs required to home in the last 12 months

0.71

10. Neighbourhood mixed in terms of housing tenure is positive for the neighbourhood

0.91



The chart shows the positive and negative drivers

ordered by significance on satisfaction levels. Also

shown is the strength of association for each factor

when tenant groups are compared. Odds ratios are

used here which compares the odds of an event

(in this case satisfaction with opportunities for

participation) occurring in one group against the odds

of it occurring in another group. An odds ratio greater

than 1 indicates satisfaction is more likely in that

group whereas an odds ratio less than 1 indicates

satisfaction is less likely in that group.

Those agreeing their landlord took their views

into account when making decisions about their

neighbourhood were much more likely to be satisfied

with opportunities for participation than those who

did not agree. Those aware of tenant inspections

and audits as a way of getting involved were much

less likely to be satisfied than those who weren’t

aware of those methods.

The most significant positive drivers of satisfaction

with opportunities to participate across all tenant

groups relate to:

agreement that views are taken into account

a strong sense of community cohesion (people

from different backgrounds get on well together)

satisfaction with repairs and maintenance

As with overall satisfaction, satisfaction with the

way the landlord provides repairs and maintenance

services appears as a significant driver and underlines

the importance of this service element to the way

tenants view their landlord.

Those tenants who perceived their landlord would

take their views into account on aspects affecting

their neighbourhood and, to a lesser extent,

their home, were more likely to be satisfied with

opportunities for participation. The model provides no

indication of the direction of causality but it appears

that the perceived effectiveness of participation

measures is an important positive influence on

satisfaction levels. As one would expect, satisfaction

with participation opportunities was likely to be higher

if the tenant considered the landlord was responsive

to their views.

16

A strong sense of community also features as

a positive factor. Those agreeing that people from

different backgrounds get on well together, as

well as those satisfied with places to meet friends

and neighbours within their neighbourhood were

more likely to be satisfied with opportunities for

participation. This reinforces the importance of a

cohesive community to satisfaction levels commented

on in the previous section.

Tenants that have reported the need for repairs,

and those that think having a mix of housing

tenures is a good thing for their neighbourhood,

were less likely to be satisfied with opportunities for

participation. For repairs this again reiterates the

importance of a home in good condition as a key

influencer on tenant satisfaction levels.

The appearance of tenure mix as a negative driver

may well reflect lower levels of satisfaction among

tenants who view their current neighbourhood as

too homogenous.

Awareness of options for involvement also feature

within the model although some notable differences

exist for individual aspects. The results suggest that

awareness of tenants’/residents’ associations are

more likely to be associated with higher satisfaction

levels, whereas tenant inspections and audits are not.


Although the majority of tenants (58%) thought their

landlord takes at least some account of their views

when making decisions about their home, only one in

six (16%) felt that their views are taken into account

a lot. Housing association tenants were the most

positive, with 64% feeling their views are taken into

account either a little/a lot compared to 54%

of LSVT tenants. ALMO tenants were less likely

to have an opinion, with 29% not having a response

to this question.

Taking account of tenants’ views

Extent to which landlord takes tenants’ views into account in decisions about the home by landlord type

Sample size A lot A little Not at allNo opinion/don’t

know/refused

% % % %

Housing association (5,616) 16 48 17 19

LSVT (3,666) 16 38 20 27

ALMO (5,027) 15 40 16 29

Local authority (4,998) 19 41 20 20

All tenants (19,307) 16 42 18 24

18

Similar lukewarm views were held by tenants

about the extent to which their views were taken

into account in landlords’ decisions about the

neighbourhood. Again housing association tenants

were the most positive, with 59% feeling their views

were valued compared to 51% of LSVT tenants.


know/refused

% % % %

Housing association (5,616) 14 45 19 22

LSVT (3,666) 14 37 22 27

ALMO (5,027) 11 41 17 32

Local authority (4,998) 17 40 20 22

All tenants (19,307) 16 42 18 24

Extent to which landlord takes tenants’ views into account in decisions about the neighbourhood by landlord type

3 In the 1999-2000 survey, there was a single question about the extent to which tenants’ views were taken into account.

There has been a steady deterioration in tenants’

ratings of their landlord in this respect. They are

more negative than they were ten years ago, when a

quarter of housing association tenants thought their

landlord took a lot of account of their views when

making decisions3. Going back still further to 1995,

almost a third (31%) of housing association tenants

felt their landlord took a lot of account of their views

when making decisions.


Taking account of tenants’ viewsHousing association tenants onlyHow much account do you feel your landlord takes of tenants’ views when making decisions about your home?

Black tenants were a little more positive about the

extent to which their views were taken into account

than both Asian and white tenants. Almost two

thirds (65%) of black tenants say their views were

taken into account a lot or a little in decisions about

their home, compared to 58% of Asian and 58% of

white tenants. This denotes a marked reverse from

ten years ago when, among housing association

tenants, white tenants were much more likely than

black tenants to feel their views were taken into

account (66% of white housing association tenants

being positive compared to 59% of black housing

association tenants).

A lot A little Not at allNo opinion/don’t

know/refused

% % % %

2008 16 42 18 24

1999-2000 25 40 16 18

1995 31 35 12 22

20

Sample size A lot A little Not at all No opinion/don’t know/refused

% % % %

White (17,321) 17 41 19 24

Asian (655) 11 47 11 31

Black (672) 18 47 16 19

Other (307) 9 45 20 46

All tenants (19,307) 16 42 18 24

Extent to which landlord takes tenants’ views into account in decisions about the home by ethnic group

Tenants who had recently moved into their home

were the least likely to feel their views were valued

and acted upon by their landlord. Longer-standing

tenants on the other hand had more positive views,

although they more commonly felt that only a little

account was taken of their views rather than a lot.

Linked to this, it is younger tenants who were also

less likely to be convinced that their views were

taken into account. We also see that tenants living in

London were more positive than tenants in any other

region, with 70% of them believing their views were

taken into account. Least positive about this aspect

of their landlord were tenants living in the Midlands.



know/refused

By length of time in home % % % %

Under a year (1,570) 16 31 16 36

1-2 years (1,848) 20 33 21 26

3-5 years (3,159) 16 40 21 24

6-10 years (4,645) 12 48 17 23

11-20 years (3,825) 15 48 17 20

More than 20 years (4,129) 22 37 17 24

By region

London (2,066) 16 54 14 16

South (4,094) 17 40 18 25

Midlands (6,118) 17 35 22 26

North (6,986) 16 38 19 27

All tenants (19,307) 16 42 18 24

Extent to which landlord takes tenants’ views into account in decisions about the home by length of time in home

22

Conclusion

Although a majority of social tenants express

satisfaction with their opportunities for participation,

and there has been some progress in satisfaction

levels among housing association tenants over the

last decade, there is still a high level of indifference

among social tenants. Very few tenants are confident

that their landlord takes account of their views

adequately in its decisions.

Satisfaction with participation opportunities is likely

to be higher if the tenant considers the landlord

is responsive to their views and attachment to

neighbourhood is another important driving factor.

Tenants who see their local neighbourhood as a

place where people from different backgrounds get

on well together are more likely to be satisfied

with opportunities for participation.

Most tenants are aware of at least some of the

opportunities to participate in the management

of their housing, although many, particularly

tenants living in estate-based properties, focus on

tenants’/residents’ associations and are less aware

of the wide range of options that may be open to

them. Landlords need to provide tenants with more

information about the range of opportunities available,

and, in particular, could do a lot more to inform

new tenants who are considerably less likely to be

knowledgeable about their options.

In terms of tenants’ preferences, a wide range of

options appeal to tenants. Surveys of tenants’ views

are the most attractive to tenants but the ETS data

demonstrate the importance of offering a wide range

of participation opportunities – open days, meetings

with the landlord’s board, tenant inspections,

among others – to meet tenants’ diverse needs

and circumstances.

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Existing Tenants Survey 2008Tenant involvement

The Existing Tenants Survey is a large and comprehensive survey of social housing tenants. The survey was undertaken between August and October 2008 for tenants, and February to April 2009 for shared owners. This paper presents findings on tenants’ views on resident involvement. The survey sought tenants’ views on their landlord’s commitment to tenant involvement, and on whether and how would they like to be more involved.

tsa existing tenant involvement survey 2008

Documents

black tenants

almo tenants

supported housing tenants

existing tenants survey

general needs tenants

account of tenants views

housing associations

tenantsresidents associations