Annual survey begins

A huge survey has launched in Redditch to ask council tenants about their experience of housing services over the past year, and make improvements.

Redditch Borough Council’s annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey gathers feedback from people living in the authority’s over 5,000 homes in Redditch, to help assess and enhance service quality.

The six-week survey asks tenants about their recent housing experiences, including how they feel about the condition of their property, maintenance services, communications from the council, and their overall satisfaction.

Councillor Bill Hartnett, Redditch Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing, said: "This survey is a cornerstone of our commitment to delivering high-quality housing services. We value tenant feedback very highly and I would urge all to participate. It’s crucial for our continuous improvement efforts.

“Last year’s results for example helped us to make new complaints procedures and processes, with clearer monitoring, so we can make sure we are responding to complaints effectively. We also identified that we received some complaints linked to noise and, as a result, work started on a new policy to specifically cover noise issues, in conjunction with our recent new tenancy agreement. And we have moved to create a new repair-diagnosing system to boost the repairs service for council homes, as well as add more staff, and introduce a lift replacement programme too.

“These are changes that directly improve the service tenants receive, and I’d like to thank everyone that engages with this survey and gives us their feedback. It’s essential for driving positive changes. What should we improve next?”

Tenants are now receiving information, including text messages, on how to participate in the survey from the council and its survey partner We Love Surveys.

The survey forms part of official Tenant Satisfaction Measures, which measure performance and were introduced to social landlords in England by the Regulator of Social Housing in 2024.

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Joe Baker, said: “Engaging with our tenants and listening to what people tell us is one of the most important things we do as a social landlord, and this annual survey is one of the best opportunities to do that.”

Survey responses are confidential, with response data analysed collectively to identify trends and areas for improvement. The results are published by the council for everyone to see.

For more information, see www.redditchbc.gov.uk/tenantsurvey.