CASE STUDY
Medway Council
In 2023, Medway Council reached out to In-house Research Ltd to conduct an independent assessment of their tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs). The TSMs, introduced by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH), are a set of standards designed to measure tenants’ satisfaction across various aspects of their housing experience. These measures include overall satisfaction, quality of housing, repairs and maintenance, communication, customer service, neighbourhood quality, health and safety, tenant involvement, and complaints handling.
Medway Council sought an independent research provider to ensure objectivity and credibility in their assessment process. They recognised the importance of gaining accurate and unbiased insights into tenant perceptions to enhance their services and meet regulatory requirements effectively.
In-house Research Ltd was selected for this project due to our extensive experience and proven track record in conducting comprehensive housing research. Our expertise in tenant satisfaction studies, combined with our ability to provide actionable insights, made us the ideal partner for Medway Council. Our commitment to high-quality research and our innovative approach to data collection and analysis ensured that we could meet the specific needs of Medway Council and deliver valuable findings to inform their service improvements.
"We chose In-house Research Ltd because of their knowledge of the housing industry and evidenced expertise in carrying out tenant satisfaction studies."
"Their commitment to delivering high-quality, actionable insights and innovative approach to tenant engagement assured us that they were the right partner. Their background in housing and understanding of the complex sampling requirements made a significant difference. They were not just thinking about data collection, but how the data can be used to support our vision objectives to make improvements to the resident experience, which is far more powerful that just a set of statistics."
REBECCA WILCOX, CHIEF HOUSING OFFICER | MEDWAY COUNCIL
In 2023, In-house Research carried out Medway Council’s first Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) survey, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership with them this year. Their extensive expertise in housing and market research ensured a seamless and timely process.
The real-time dashboards they created were exceptional, allowing us to monitor survey results continuously, supplemented by regular updates and anecdotal feedback from their telephone team. Their meticulous approach ensured our sample was representative and compliant for regulatory submission.
In-house Research conducted all the analysis and produced comprehensive reports that were perfectly aligned with our requirements. Their insights were invaluable, enabling us to design a follow-up survey and an improvement plan. Additionally, Tom from In-house Research presented the survey results to our Tenant and Leasehold Panel, providing an independent perspective that our group found highly beneficial.
"In-house Research’s expertise and innovative approach provided us with invaluable insights and seamless processes, enabling us to improve our services and meet regulatory requirements effectively."
ABOUT MEDWAY COUNCIL
- • Medway Council is the local authority of Medway in Kent, England.
• It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined.
• The council was created on 1 April 1998 and replaced Rochester-upon-Medway City Council and Gillingham Borough Council.
• Medway Council own and manage c. 3,000 homes.
GOALS
- • To collect feedback from tenants against the Tenant Perception Measures as required by the Regulator of Social Housing.
• To better understand tenant priorities for service improvement and supplement housing policy.
• To promote and enhance the relationship between residents and Medway Council by listening to tenant feedback and creating a strategy to address any service issues.
APPROACH
- • Stratified-sampling and data testing.
• Multi-modal tenant satisfaction survey, including telephone and online surveys distributed via email and SMS.
• Online reporting dashboard to track results and responses in real time.
• Welfare alerts to flag any immediate follow-up actions.
• Report to leadership team on insights and analysis of results including voice of the customer analytics.
• Presentation to the Tenant & Leasehold Panel for independent scrutiny.
• Preparation of submission to the Regulator of Social Housing.
RESULTS
- • A compliant and aligned submission of results as required by the Regulator of Social Housing.
• Actionable insights into the data used to develop an improvement strategy for the housing team.
• A further detailed research project commissioned to further understand tenant perceptions on complaints handling.