According to the poll, most social renters are generally satisfied, but nearly half of the 1,400 social renters surveyed had recently experienced an issue with their home, with some experiencing multiple issues.

Over a quarter of tenants had carried out or funded repairs they felt were their landlord’s responsibility.

Satisfaction levels are lower among disabled renters, those living in older, unrenovated homes and those who do not know whether they have a housing officer or how to contact them.

Key concerns about property condition included damp and mould and other repair issues and the energy efficiency of the home and heating costs – particularly amongst disabled renters and those living in older properties.

The survey also found dissatisfaction with landlord responsiveness when issues were reported, as well as the way complaints were handled. Only three in ten issues were fully resolved, and satisfaction with communication and the speed of complaint resolution were particularly low.

While most said they do report issues, there was limited awareness around how to escalate issues that had not been resolved. Fewer than half of social renters knew where to go if their issue or complaint is not addressed.

Of the 2.7 million occupied dwellings in Scotland, 633,030 are social housing stock, including 325,477 council dwellings and 307,553 housing association dwellings.

The Consumer Scotland report A Fairer Rental Market: Life in Scotland’s social rented sector sets out a number of key recommendations including:

• The Scottish Government and Scottish Housing Regulator work closely with disabled people’s organisations, tenant advisers and representative bodies to ensure the needs of disabled social renters are fully reflected in the Scottish Social Housing Charter’s Equalities Outcome during its 2026 review
• The Scottish Housing Regulator introduces specific indicators to measure landlord performance against the needs of disabled social renters
• The Scottish Housing Regulator considers whether to issue guidance to ensure all social renters have easy access to a housing officer or named point of contact
• Landlord performance to be monitored with further work undertaken to improve responsiveness and complaints handling
• Following implementation of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025, the Scottish Government commissions a public awareness campaign ensuring renters understand their rights and know where to seek support
• The Scottish Housing Regulator works with landlords and the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to assess whether current signposting to the ombudsman is adequate and keep this under review
• The Scottish Government considers how best to address all aspects of fuel poverty affecting social renters during the review of the Fuel Poverty Strategy due to take place in 2026

Consumer Scotland policy manager Eva Ablett said: “Social renters make up a significant part of Scotland’s housing landscape, and it is vital their
experiences are properly understood.

“While our research shows that while many social renters are broadly satisfied, too many are still facing issues that affect their day‑to‑day lives – and disabled renters in particular. Our findings highlight clear areas where improvements would enhance outcomes for social renters.

“Our recommendations aim to ensure that all renters receive the support, clarity and service they are entitled to.

“Better signposting, clearer communication and more responsive landlord services would make a significant difference for many social renters across Scotland We have also found that these same issues affect private renters.

“We are committed to working closely with the Scottish Government, the Scottish Housing Regulator and organisations supporting renters to make sure this evidence leads to meaningful change.”