TSMs Summary of Approach

Introduction

The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) Standard mandates that all registered providers develop and report TSMs in accordance with the guidelines set by the regulator. As part of this requirement, it is necessary for STAR Housing to inform its customers about its approach to conducting the TSM Perception survey and collecting data.

This document details STAR Housing’s methodology and outlines the criteria specified in the Regulator of Social Housing’s publication, Tenant Satisfaction Measures Return. The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) Standard requires all registered providers to conduct tenant perception surveys and report performance annually as specified by the RSH. TSMs are intended to make landlords’ performance more visible to tenants so that tenants can hold their landlord to account. TSMs consist of 22 measures: 10 providing management information from data held by the landlord and 12 satisfaction measures gathered from tenant surveys. In addition to overall satisfaction with landlord services, the measures cover five key themes:

  • Keeping properties in good repair
  • Maintaining building safety
  • Respectful and helpful engagement
  • Responsible neighbourhood management
  • Effective handling of complaints

Providers must publish a summary of the survey approach used to generate published tenant perception measures. This must be made clearly available alongside each set of tenant perception measures published by the provider.

Summary of Achieved Sample & Sample Method

STAR Housing works with Acuity Research & Practice Ltd, an accredited organisation that is dedicated to providing research services in the social housing sector. We use survey information to understand how our tenants feel about their homes and services and how we can improve. Acuity was commissioned for collecting, generating and validating reported perception measures. In 2024/25, STAR Housing completed TSM surveys with a sample of residents. The sample size was chosen to ensure that the level of statistical accuracy set out by the Regulator of Social Housing was met. STAR Housing must ensure that they survey enough residents to meet a statistical accuracy (margin of error at 95% confidence interval) of +/- 4%. During 2024/25, STAR Housing completed 523 TSM surveys. STAR Housing have 3982 properties, which means that a statistical accuracy level of +/- 4.0% was achieved, which is the level of accuracy required. No tenant was removed from the sample frame. STAR Housing incentivise the survey with 3 vouchers worth £100, £50, and £20.

Timing of Survey

STAR Housing carried out a total of 543 surveys, this is made of 523 completed surveys and 20 incomplete surveys. These surveys were conducted between 23/05/2024 and 27/01/2025.

Collection Method(s)

The TSM Surveys were completed via telephone. The rationale for using a telephone approach is:

  • Accessibility and Inclusivity: Ensuring accessibility for all tenants, which aligns with
  • our goal of reaching a broad and representative sample.
  • Engagement and Data Quality: Direct interaction over the phone tends to enhance
  • engagement, allowing participants to ask clarifying questions and leading to more
  • accurate and detailed responses. This is particularly valuable for nuanced satisfaction
  • metrics.
  • Response Rates: Historically, telephone surveys have yielded higher response rates
  • than other methods within this tenant demographic, maximising the robustness of our
  • data and ensuring the results truly reflect the tenant base. This also allows STAR
  • Housing to be reactive to flags and alerts, which improves tenant recovery.
  • Reliability and Consistency: Maintaining consistency with previous years’
  • methodologies allows for more reliable trend analysis. It also enables richer information
  • to be gathered. A telephone-based approach further helps ensure the comparability of
  • responses across survey years, supporting more insightful year-over-year analyses.
  • Independence: Using Acuity, an independent market research agency, means that
  • participants are free from influence from the rest of the organisation.

Sample Method

The survey used a sample approach. Acuity contacted a random selection of current tenants from General Needs and Independent Living properties to participate in a telephone survey based on quotas set on housing needs, patch, age, and ethnicity. The survey was carefully scripted to ensure a professional and consistent process. Survey responses are immediately shared with STAR Housing, who then manage a follow up and review process which includes both responding to feedback as necessary, and analysing the feedback, to understand how we can improve.

Representativeness

Representative checks were carried out to ensure that the survey was representative of the tenant population as a whole. The characteristics by which
Representativeness was determined were: Housing Need, Age, Patch, and Ethnicity.

Housing NeedPopulation Sample
General Needs91%92%
Independent Living 7%8%
PatchPopulation Sample
119% 20%
219%19%
315%15%
PATCHA17%16%
PATCHB13%14%
PATCHC14%15%
*2%1%
Age GroupPopulation Sample
0 – 242%1%
25 – 3411%9%
35 – 4415%13%
45 – 5415%15%
55 – 599%10%
60 – 649%10%
65 – 7417%18%
75 – 8415%18%
85 +7%6%
Unknown0%0%
EthnicityPopulation Sample
WB70%80%
NS16%17%
WEASTE2%2%
WI0%0%
AABB0%0%
MO0%0%
AABO0%0%
BBBO0%0%
MWBC0%0%
AABI0%0%
BBBC0%0%
COEG0%0%
WGYP0%0%
WTRAV0%0%
UNKNOWN11%0%
Property TypePopulation Sample
HOUSE49%84%
BUNGALOW28%34%
FLAT19%18%
MAISON2%2%
BEDSIT1%1%
SEMIDET1%0%
MIDTERR0%0%
ENDTERR0%1%
DETA0%0%
Length of TenancyPopulation Sample
A. < 1 year9%4%
B. 1 – 3 years21%22%
C. 4 – 5 years9%11%
D. 6 – 10 years20%22%
E. 11 – 20 years19%20%
F. Over 20 years22%20%
GenderPopulation Sample
Female61%59%
Male36%41%
Unknown2%0%
Access GroupPopulation Sample
BN49%50%
OS39%41%
BNSP4%4%
OSSP4%4%
TA2%1%
SH1%0%
TAL0%0%
YP0%0%

Questionnaire & Introductory Text

Here is the introductory text and question set used for STAR Housing’s TSM surveys.

Hello is that (Respondent Name],

My name is [Interviewer Name] and I’m calling on behalf of~ Name] from an independent research agency called Acuity. We are carrying out short satisfaction surveys with [ description] to find out how satisfied you are with your home and the services you receive from them. Would you be able to spare [Survey Length] minutes to go through the survey with me now? IF NO ASK; can I call back at another time?

No appointments after [Project End Date]

IVR READ OUT: The survey will be used to calculate tenant satisfaction measures to be
published by [~ Name] and reported back to the Regulator of Social Housing.

If the customer would like to verify the validity of this survey they need to contact[~Name] by email [Email Address] or by phone (Telephone Number].

NB: Data sharing if challenged – “Your landlord will, from time to time, share your personal data with third parties for “legitimate interest s”. This could be transferring it to repairs contractors to carry out repairs or for research purposes such as this, to ensure they are giving the best service possible. When signing your application form or agreement, you are automatically included in this legitimate interest clause which can also be found in the data privacy statement on your landlord’s website. You can however opt out of this by contacting your landlord. If you are not happy that your landlord has passed your details to us and would rather we did not contact you again, we can remove your details from system and flag this back to your landlord. I however urge you to contact them to request your details are not shared with other parties.”

Before we start, I need to make you aware that we are bound by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. All calls will be recorded for training and quality purposes. Any information that you give us will be treated in confidence and will be used to find ways of improving the service that ~ Name] provides. ~ Name] will be able to identify you from your survey responses, are you happy to continue?

NB: If asked – call recordings are stored for 90 days to allow our company to verify and validate
the quality of interviews.

  • Yes
  • No

Question Set

Label

Question text

Rating scale

Overall
Satisfaction

Taking everything into account, how satisfied or
dissatisfied are you with the service provided by
STAR Housing?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Overall
Satisfaction
Very Satisfied
Comments

Please can you explain why you are very
satisfied?

Open ended

Overall
Satisfaction
Neutral
Comments

Overall, what could STAR Housing have done
differently or better to improve your satisfaction
with the service?

Open ended

Overall
Satisfaction
Very
Dissatisfied
Comments

Please can you explain why you are very
dissatisfied? And what STAR Housing needs to
improve?

Open ended

Well
Maintained
Home

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
Housing provides a home that is well
maintained?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Safe Home

Thinking about the condition of the property or
building you live in, how satisfied or dissatisfied
are you that STAR Housing provides a home that
is safe?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Communal
Areas?

Do you live in a building with communal areas,
either inside or outside, that STAR Housing is
responsible for maintaining?

Yes, No, Don`t know

Communal
Area
Satisfaction

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
HOUSING keeps these communal areas clean
and well-maintained?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don’t know

Home or
communal
areas safe or
well maintained

If you do not feel that your home (and / or
communal areas) are safe and/or well
maintained, please can you explain why and
suggest what could be improved?

Open ended

Repairs in Last
12 Months

Has STAR Housing carried out a repair to your
home in the last 12 months?

Yes, No

Repairs Last
12 Months
Satisfaction

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
overall repairs service from STAR Housing over
the last 12 months?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Time Taken
Repairs

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
time taken to complete your most recent repair
after you reported it?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Overall Repairs

Generally, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you
with the way STAR Housing deals with repairs
and maintenance?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Repairs
Comments

If you are not satisfied with how STAR Housing
deals with repairs and maintenance, please
could you explain the reason why?

Open ended

Listens and
Acts

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
Housing listens to your views and acts upon
them?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Keeps you
Informed

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
Housing keeps you informed about things that
matter to you?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Fairly and with
Respect

To what extent do you agree or disagree with the
following STAR Housing treats me fairly and with respect?

Strongly agree, Agree, Neither agree nor
disagree, Disagree, Strongly disagree, Not
applicable / Don`t know

Easy to Deal
With

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
Housing is easy to deal with?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied

Customer
Service and
Communication
Comments

If you are not satisfied with customer service and
communications please provide more
information, and what could STAR Housing
improve?

Open ended

Getting
Involved

STAR Housing are working on improving their
resident involvement offer, would you be
interested in getting more involved and helping
STAR Housing to shape their services?

Yes, No

Internet Access

Does you or your household have access to the
internet?

Yes, No

Internet Access
Method

How do you or your household access the
internet (tick all that apply)?

Home broadband, Mobile Internet via Smart
Phone, Public access – e.g. Libraries,
Community Centres, etc., Other (please
specify)

Contribution To
Neighbourhood

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that STAR
Housing makes a positive contribution to your
neighbourhood?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Approach to
ASB

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with STAR
Housing’s approach to handling anti-social
behaviour?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Complaints in
Last 12 Months

Have you made a complaint to STAR Housing in
the last 12 months?

Yes, No

Complaints
Handling

How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with STAR
Housing’s approach to complaints handling?

Very satisfied, Fairly satisfied, Neither
satisfied nor dissatisfied, Fairly dissatisfied,
Very dissatisfied, Not applicable / Don`t know

Complaints
Comments

Please can you explain why you have given this
score?

Open ended

Complaint
Type

What was your complaint related to?

Repairs service, Property condition, ASB,
Communal areas or repairs, Damp and
mould, Staff or contractor attitude,
Communication, Tenancy matters, Rent or
service charge matters, Other (please
specify), Unknown

Complaint
Route

How did you make your complaint? If you have
gone through more than one route, please tick all
that apply

Telephone call to the contact centre, Email to
the contact centre, To a housing officer, Via
the website, In writing, Complaints
procedure, Through a legal representative,
To a regulatory body, e.g. Housing
Ombudsman, Other (please specify)

Complaint
Resolution

Has your complaint now been resolved?

Yes – I am happy with the resolution, Yes – I
am not happy with the resolution, No –
complaint is still ongoing, No – my landlord
has not acknowledged my complaint

Complaint
Stage
Resolution

What stage in the complaints process did your
complaint reach?

Stage 1, Stage 2, Expression of
dissatisfaction or Service request or informal
complaint, Not sure / don’t know

Complaint
Went Well

What went well about the way your complaint
was handled?

Open ended

Improve
Complaint
Handling

How could your landlord improve the way it
handles complaints? Tick all that apply

Improve communication / keep me updated,
Improve internal communication
(communication between teams), Listen
more, Better attitude of staff to complaints,
Be more proactive in resolving my complaint,
Make it clearer how to make a complaint,
Make it easier to make a complaint,
Acknowledge complaints, N/A, Other (please
specify)

NPS

How likely would you be to recommend STAR
Housing to other people on a scale of 0 – 10,
where 0 is not at all likely and 10 is extremely
likely?

Not at all likely 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
extremely likely

One thing
improve

If STAR Housing could do ONE thing to improve
its services, what would you like it to be?

Open ended

Future Contact

If you were contacted again in the future and
asked to take part in another survey, what is your
preferred method for taking part?

Telephone call, Postal questionnaire, Email
with link to online survey, Text with link to
online survey, Not sure

Permission 1

The results of this survey are confidential.
However, would you be happy for us to give your
responses to STAR Housing with your name
attached so that they have better information to
help them improve services?

Yes, No

Permission 2

Would you be happy for STAR Housing to
contact you to follow up on any of the comments
or issues you have raised?

Yes, No

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