Yahoo News Social housing tenants in London 'more unsatisfied than anywhere else in UK'
Social housing residents who live in London are more unsatisfied with their living arrangements than anyone else in the country, a new survey has found. The National Tenant Survey was carried out by the Regulator of Social Housing in May and June 2024, and asked Low Cost Rental Accommodation (LCRA) tenants a variety of questions regarding how they feel about their current experiences as a tenant.
In total 3,287 LCRA tenants participated in the survey from across England, balanced to account for the number of people living in different parts of the country. However, the survey found that tenants who live in London are significantly less happy with their experiences than others.
Londoners recorded just 61 percent overall satisfaction compared to the national satisfaction level of 70 percent. Tenants living in London were particularly unhappy with how repairs, safety and maintenance were carried out, the survey found.
READ MORE: Disabled tenant moved to wooden shack after Camden Council didn't fix lift for two years
This was shown through tenants' answers to questions including:
Satisfaction with time taken to complete most recent repair
Satisfaction that the home is well maintained
Satisfaction that the home is safe
Satisfaction that the landlord listens to tenant views and acts upon them
Treating tenants fairly and with respect.
The survey found that Londoners had similar responses to those in other areas when asked questions about complaints or neighbourhood management.
MyLondon contacted the Mayor of London's office to ask why Londoners are more unhappy than residents anywhere else in the country. In response, a spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor is doing everything in his power to drive up the quality of housing in London and to help hold housing providers to account for the quality and safety of their homes.
“Sadiq is improving the quality of both new and existing homes in London through his housing investment programmes. He also took the bold decision in September 2022 to set a precedent by freezing funds to social housing providers who clearly fail to meet the standards that both City Hall and Londoners expect.
“The Mayor has put the twin goals of affordability and quality at the centre of his £4bn Affordable Homes Programme, which sets stringent funding requirements around design, sustainability and building safety. He is determined to ensure that all Londoners can have a well-designed, safe, good quality, affordable home as we continue to build a better, fairer London for everyone.”
Got a story for us? Email anna.willis@reachplc.com.
Get the top stories from across London directly to your inbox. Sign up for MyLondon's The 12 HERE to get the biggest stories every day
