The data shows the proportion of homes vacant and available to let dropped to 0.43% in July 2025, representing the strongest voids position in three years. Average re-let times have also improved, falling to around 40-42 days compared to 50 days a year ago.

However, these operational gains come against a backdrop of mounting economic pressure. The latest figures reveal that ‘true’ current tenant arrears rose by 2.8% month on month between June and July to a median of 2.9%, coinciding with UK inflation jumping unexpectedly to 3.8% which is the highest rate in 18 months.

At the same time, anti-social behaviour (ASB) reporting is on the rise, with April to July data showing an increase beyond the usual seasonal peak. In addition to a hot summer, this may reflect landlords stepping up their reporting processes in anticipation of closer regulatory scrutiny.

Encouragingly, staffing levels remain stable with voluntary staff turnover holding at 0.7% per month (8-9% annually), well below the ‘Great resignation’ and less than pre-pandemic norms. This stability is helping providers avoid significant recruitment costs while maintaining service delivery.

Jonathan Cox, chief data officer at Housemark, said: “This month’s Pulse data shows a sector delivering real operational improvements even as economic headwinds intensify. Tackling long-standing voids has been a clear focus and landlords are now seeing the benefits with record-low levels of vacant stock available to let. 

“At the same time rising arrears and ASB reporting highlight the pressures that tenants and landlords are facing as the cost-of-living crisis persists. Stability in staffing is a positive sign but it is clear that organisations will need to stay agile and data-driven to balance efficiency gains with growing external challenges.”

Housemark’s latest Monthly Pulse is based on real-time data from 133 social landlords across the UK, covering key performance metrics including arrears, voids, repairs, complaints and staffing.

Other key findings in this month’s Pulse Report include:

• Satisfaction with repairs measured via transactional surveys remained strong at 89.1% but overall tenant satisfaction with landlord services (perception surveys) was slightly lower than last month at 76.2%
• The volume of responsive repairs rose by 6.8% month on month with 89.4% completed within target timescales
• Formal Stage 1 and 2 complaints increased by 4.4% although 97.3% were still resolved within timescales
• Customer contact through digital channels fell by 3.1% indicating a dip in online engagement
• The proportion of working days lost to sickness absence increased by 3.0% compared to June
• Staff turnover varied geographically with London landlords recording the highest churn (1.06% per month) compared with 0.63% in Wales and Northern Ireland.