Charter outcomes again reinforce the value of local services, says GWSF

Publishing its Charter Report for 2024-25, produced by Scotland’s Housing Network, the Forum said that the findings once again reaffirmed that on day-to-day services, tenants clearly benefitted from being served by a landlord with a clear local base and a greater ability to deliver services more quickly and effectively.

The report notes that two thirds of GWSF member associations who carried out a new tenant satisfaction survey in 24-25 reported increased levels of satisfaction, countering what had previously been a downward trend in the wake of the pandemic.

But the report says GWSF member associations still maintained their position as the top performers across a range of key Charter indicators:

• Emergency repairs averaged 2.9 hours, against 4.4 hours for other RSLs and 3.6 hours for councils
• Non-emergency repairs averaged 5 days, against 9.5 days for other RSLs and 10.1 days for councils
• Relet times averaged 26 days, against 45 days for other RSLs and 78 days for councils
• Arrears for current tenants were 2.4% for GWSF member associations, 2.8% for other RSLs and 5.2% for councils

The report also confirmed the downward trend in tenancy turnover seen in recent years, with turnover among GWSF member associations now as low as 6.25%. The report raises the possibility that increased homelessness lets may be resulting in lower rates of transfers, meaning an overall lower turnover rate.

GWSF chair John F Hamilton said: “Our Charter Report is a timely reminder that responsive services for tenants shouldn’t just be assumed as being delivered equally by all social landlords.

“Of course, different types of social landlord bring different things to the table. Larger, national associations may well be perceived as having greater financial muscle, but community-based associations demonstrate not just the responsiveness of their services but also their efficiency and effectiveness through factors such as lower arrears and lower void rent loss. Year on year we’re always very keen to highlight this.”