But repairs completions down 16% in August from July
Rent arrears for social housing have fallen for two months running, a new report by Housemark has revealed.
According to the data and insight company’s latest ‘Pulse’ survey, social rent arrears dipped by 1.4% between July and August to 2.73%.
This represents an almost 7% improvement compared with the same time last year, which Housemark attributes to “sustained focus on income management and early intervention strategies”.
Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “Arrears improvement against an inflationary backdrop reflects strong income management and proactive tenant support, both vital for financial stability.”
Meanwhile, landlords completed 15.9% fewer repairs in August than in July at a median rate of 230 responsive repairs per 1,000 homes, with 88% completed within target timeframes – 3.6% higher year-on-year.
The number of social landlords across England and Scotland has fallen from 512 to 491 since 2021/21, while the average provider has grown from 9,576 to 12,604 homes.
Housemark said that mergers can “create conditions for service improvements such as smaller housing officer patch sizes, shorter queuing times and stronger arrears management, but also require careful planning to manage the impact of change.”
Complaints volumes fell by 17% between July and August, with 96.9% resolved within target times, while customer satisfaction with landlord services stood at 75.8%.
Housemark is jointly owned by the National Housing Federation and the Chartered Institute of Housing. Its monthly Pulse survey is based on data from 135 social landlords across the UK.
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