A GLOWING survey report from tenants about the service and value for money they receive is a testament to the hard work of staff, says our Chief Executive Steve Warran.
The survey, carried out between October and December last year and completed by 217 tenants, showed 95 per cent of them are satisfied with its service. The association has more than 450 homes in rural locations across Wiltshire, Swindon and Somerset.
Almost all tenants (96 per cent) feel they are provided with a well-maintained home, while 99 per cent are satisfied they have a safe home and 98 per cent say the housing association is easy to deal with. Almost nine out of ten (89 per cent) say White Horse provides good value for money.
Out of 15 categories of questions, 11 showed a rise in score over the last survey in 2024, while one stayed the same. The largest rise relates to the maintenance of communal areas, which rose from 69 per cent being satisfied to 80 per cent this time round.
Nine out of ten (94 per cent) of tenants who have had repairs carried out in the last year are satisfied with the repairs service and 94 per cent say they are satisfied with the time taken to complete their most recent repair after they reported it, while 93 per cent rate the overall service highly.
“I’m absolutely delighted with these results,” said Mr Warran. “I thought the last survey would be hard to beat but, thanks to our hard work, we’ve done it.
“It’s a demonstration of a complete team effort from everyone at White Horse, from the customer service advisors and the whole staff team to our excellent contractors. If all of us weren't working at the top of our game, we wouldn’t be seeing these results.”
Nine out of ten (94 per cent) of tenants say they are treated fairly and with respect, while 98 per cent say White Horse is easy deal with and 92 per cent feel they are kept well informed.
“Two things really please me about the results,” said Mr Warran. “First, those around customer service because if our staff didn’t treat people with respect and weren’t easy to deal with, then these results wouldn't be half as good.
“Second, is the increase in the score for the communal areas because we’d had complaints about grounds maintenance that showed up quite prominently in the last survey. We consulted with our Tenant Scrutiny Panel to help with tendering, evaluation and selection of new contractors and they have made a huge difference. That shows how we are ready to listen and act.”
The survey, which is a requirement of the Social Housing Regulator and was carried out by research company Acuity, says more than eight out of ten tenants (81 per cent) are loyal to White Horse and happy to promote it to other people, with 70 per cent giving it a score of 10 out of 10.
“Just four per cent of tenants had any negative views about us so we achieved a Net Promoter Score of 76, which is five per cent higher on the 2024 survey and far higher than any other housing association I’ve seen,” said Mr Warran.
Only 15 per cent of the residents who responded have raised a complaint of any kind in the last year, with just a quarter feeling dissatisfied by the outcome. “We take any negatives seriously and we’ll be looking at each comment and investigating to see how we might have done better,” said Mr Warran. “We’ll be involving the Tenant Scrutiny Panel in that too because, despite how well we’ve done, we can never be complacent.”
The survey was filled with positive comments from residents who’d completed it. One said: “Whenever I have phoned them, I am always treated with respect, they are always quick to respond, they always call me back, they are excellent.”
Another added about the repairs service: “They are always prompt, provide excellent communication. Service engineer was very courteous and efficient.”
White Horse Chairman David Trethewey said: “These results highlight the fact we've got real engagement with our tenants so that we know this is what they really experience. I am delighted that the investment we make in our staff, developing skills that benefit us in the long term, are reflected in the way we are perceived and the service our tenants receive. Congratulations to everyone involved.”