Tenant Satisfaction Measures

The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) Standard mandates that all registered providers collect and report TSMs in accordance with the guidelines set by the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). As part of this requirement, it is necessary for Estuary Housing Association (Estuary) to inform its tenants about its approach to conducting the TSM Perception survey and collecting data.

This page details Estuary’s methodology and outlines the criteria specified in the RSH’s publication, Tenant Satisfaction Measures Return.

The Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) Standard requires that all registered providers conduct tenant perception surveys and report performance annually, as specified by the RSH. TSMs are intended to make landlords’ performance more visible to tenants so that tenants can hold their landlord to account. TSMs consist of 22 measures: 

10 providing management information from data held by the landlord and 12 satisfaction measures gathered from tenant surveys. In addition to overall satisfaction with landlord services, the measures cover five key themes:

• Keeping properties in good repair
• Maintaining building safety
• Respectful and helpful engagement
• Responsible neighbourhood management
• Effective handling of complaints

Providers must publish a summary of the survey approach used to generate published tenant perception measures. This must be made clearly available alongside each set of tenant perception measures published by the provider.

Estuary works with Acuity Research & Practice Ltd, an accredited organisation that is dedicated to providing research services in the social housing sector. We use survey information to understand how our tenants feel about their homes and services and how we can improve. Acuity was commissioned for collecting, generating and validating reported perception measures for tenants in Low Cost Rented Accommodation (LCRA), which includes General Needs and Supported accommodation. A number of surveys in Supported accommodation were also undertaken internally by Estuary’ staff. These surveys were designed to provide additional support to help tenants participate in the survey exercise where needed.

In 2024/25, Estuary used a random stratified sampling approach to complete TSM surveys, whereby tenants were selected at random to participate in the survey exercise. To ensure the survey response was representative of the total tenant population, tenants were proportionately sampled by area (local authority), age and tenure type. The methodology adopted a rolling approach, whereby surveys were undertaken each quarter with the aim of achieving a minimum of 744 completed LCRA surveys across the year. This final figure included surveys which were undertaken face-to-face with tenants in Supported accommodation by Estuary staff.

The sample size was chosen to ensure that the level of statistical accuracy set out by the RSH was met. For Estuary, we need to ensure that we survey enough tenants to meet a statistical accuracy (margin of error at 95% confidence interval) of +/- 4%.

During 2024/25, Estuary completed (or partially completed) 837 TSM surveys with tenants in Low-Cost Rented Accommodation (LCRA) units. Estuary have 3,381 LCRA properties which means that a statistical accuracy level of +/- 2.94% was achieved, which is a greater level of accuracy than required and gives us confidence that the results reliably represent the views of our tenant community. No tenant was removed from the sample frame.

Estuary carried out a total of 837 surveys between 15 May 2024 and 6 March 2025.

The TSM surveys were completed via a combination of telephone, online and face-to-face methodologies.

• 35% Face to Face
• 37% Telephone
• 28% Internet

All telephone surveys were carried out by Acuity interviewers who contacted a random sample of tenants each quarter and invited them to participate in structured interviews. Acuity’s interviewers were also able to send out online survey links (via email) to tenants on request. Online surveys were also used to boost survey responses where required. A number of surveys in Supported accommodation (26 in total) were carried out face-to-face with tenants by Estuary staff during in-person visits. These surveys were completed on a paper questionnaire and returned to Acuity to combine with our other results. The rationale for using a mixed methodology approach is: —

• Accessibility and Inclusivity: Telephone and face-to-face surveys ensure accessibility for all tenants, especially those who may not have internet access or digital skills, which aligns with our goal of reaching a broad and representative sample.
• Tailored Support for Vulnerable Tenants: A face-to-face approach was adopted for certain tenants in Supported accommodation to ensure that those with higher support needs could fully participate in the survey. By having Estuary staff assist with the process in person, we were able to provide the necessary support and reassurance, helping tenants to understand and complete the survey comfortably and confidently. This approach removes barriers to survey participation and promotes inclusivity, ensuring the voices of more vulnerable residents are captured accurately.
• Engagement and Data Quality: Offering both indirect (online) and direct (telephone, face-to-face) modes of participation increases tenant engagement. Telephone interviews, in particular, allow for clarification of questions in real time, leading to richer and more accurate responses. This is especially important when exploring nuanced satisfaction metrics.
• Response Rates: Historically, telephone surveys have yielded higher response rates than other methods within this tenant demographic, maximising the robustness of our data and ensuring the results truly reflect the tenant base. Using a telephone interaction allows Estuary to be reactive to flags and alerts, which improves customer recovery.
• Timeliness and Responsiveness: Conducting surveys across the year allows for real-time insight, helping us to identify emerging issues, track trends and respond proactively to tenant concerns. This approach supports more agile service improvements and enhances our ability to address challenges as they arise.

A random stratified sampling approach was used, whereby tenants were selected at random to participate in the survey across four survey periods throughout the year). Survey quotas were applied to sampling on key demographic and geographical strands to ensure the survey response was representative of the relevant tenant population (LCRA).

The survey was carefully scripted to ensure a professional and consistent process. All surveys were confidential. However, surveys undertaken by telephone or online included an additional questions at the end of the survey which asked tenants whether they would like to provide consent to be identifiable in their survey responses. These tenants were also asked whether they were happy to be contacted by Estuary to discuss any issues raised within the survey.

Following the conclusion of the fieldwork, the survey responses were shared with Estuary, who then managed a follow up and review process. This included both responding to feedback as necessary and analysing the feedback to understand how we can improve.

Representativeness checks were carried out at the end of the survey to ensure that the survey was representative of the tenant population as a whole. The characteristics by which representativeness was determined were: —

The introduction script read out by Acuity interviewers and question set (as well as response options) are shown below.

Hello is that [Respondent Name],
My name is [Interviewer Name] and I’m calling on behalf of [Organisation Name] from an independent research agency called Acuity. We are carrying out short satisfaction surveys with [description] to find out how satisfied you are with your home and the services you receive from them. Would you be able to spare [Survey Length] minutes to go through the survey with me now? IF NO ASK; can I call back at another time?

No appointments after [Project End Date]

IVR READ OUT: The survey will be used to calculate tenant satisfaction measures to be published by [Organisation Name] and reported back to the Regulator of Social Housing.
If the customer would like to verify the validity of this survey then they need to contact [Organisation Name] by email [Email Address] or by phone [Telephone Number].

NB: Data sharing if challenged – “Your landlord will, from time to time, share your personal data with third parties for “legitimate interests”. This could be transferring it to repairs contractors to carry our repairs or for research purposes such as this, to ensure they are giving the best service possible. When signing your application form or agreement, you are automatically included in this legitimate interest clause which can also be found in the data privacy statement on your landlord’s website. You can however opt out of this by contacting your landlord. If you are not happy that your landlord has passed your details to us and would rather we did not contact you again, we can remove your details from system and flag this back to your landlord. I however urge you to contact them to request your details are not shared with other parties.”

Before we start, I need to make you aware that we are bound by the Market Research Society Code of Conduct. All calls will be recorded for training and quality purposes. Any information that you give us will be treated in confidence and will be used to find ways of improving the service that [Organsiation Name] provides. [Organsiation Name] will be able to identify you from your survey responses, are you happy to continue?

NB: If asked – call recordings are stored for 90 days to allow our company to verify and validate the quality of interviews.

The results of our tenant satisfaction survey can be found below: -

In addition to data collected from surveys, the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSM) Standard mandates that all registered providers collect and report Management Information TSMs.

Our management information can be found below: -