The lastest STATUS satisfaction survey was undertaken in September 2007 and indicated high levels of satisfaction and general increases on the 2004 results.

Snap SurveyShop, on our behalf sent STATUS questionnaires to a census of all 1,202 Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust rented residents on 4^th April 2007. A reminder letter and questionnaire were sent to all non-respondents later that month, followed by a second reminder letter and questionnaire in May.

The survey was closed on 13^th June 2007, having achieved an overall response rate of 57% (691 completed questionnaires).

We used the STATUS survey, which other housing associations use. This lets us make comparisons with other organisations in the region.

The key findings in the survey were;

OVERALL SATISFACTION: 90% of residents were either "Fairly satisfied" or "Very satisfied" with the overall service provided by us, up from 84% in 2004.

PROPERTY: 91% of residents were satisfied with their accommodation, up from 89% in 2004, while 85% described the condition of their property as "Very good" or "Fairly good", compared with 83% in 2004. The majority (81%) of residents felt the number of rooms in their home was "About right", unchanged from 2004.

VALUE FOR MONEY: 87% said their rent represented good value for money, up slightly from 83% in 2004.

AREA: 86% of residents were satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live, up from 81% in 2004. The most commonly experienced problems were "Vandalism" (67%), followed by "Litter and rubbish in the street" (58%) and "Other crime" (47%). Reported levels of eight of the eleven problems listed had decreased since 2004, with the biggest fall seen for graffiti (down from 56% to 41%).

CONTACTING LANDLORD: 81% of residents said they had been in contact with us in the last 12 months other than to pay their rent, up from 71% in 2004. The most common means of contact was telephone (84%, up from 72% in 2004), while the most common reason for the contact was repairs (76%, up from 62% in 2004).

Among those who had contacted us, satisfaction levels had increased since 2004. 88% found it easy to get hold of the right person (up from 79% in 2004), 95% found staff helpful (up from 89% in 2004), 87% said staff were able to deal with their problem (up from 80%) and 81% were satisfied with the final outcome (up from 71%).

REPAIRS: 91% of all respondents were satisfied with the way we deal with repairs and maintenance, up from 78% in 2004.

80% of residents overall said they had requested repairs in the last 12 months, while 76% said they had had repairs completed.

The discrepancy between these two figures is 4 percentage points, suggesting that the demand for repairs is largely being met - this compares with a shortfall of 10 percentage points in 2004, when 72% had requested repairs but only 62% had had repairs completed.

Ratings of the last repair completed were extremely positive, with 97% rating the attitude of the workers as "Very good" or "Fairly good", and all six aspects rated achieving at least 90% satisfaction.

COMMUNICATION: 91% felt that we are good at keeping you informed about things that might affect you as residents, compared with 90% in 2004, while 78% felt that we took account of residents' views when making decisions, up from 76% in 2004.

58% of respondents were either "Very satisfied" or "Fairly satisfied" with opportunities for participation in management and decision-making, compared with 57% in 2004.

IMPROVING SERVICES: From a list of six services, respondents were asked to choose the three that they considered most important. "Repairs and maintenance" was the top priority, mentioned by 88% of residents, while the service considered most in need of improvement was "Overall quality of your home" (59%).

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: 40% of respondents had internet access, rising to 60% among those aged under 45. The services residents would most like to be able to use the JRHT website for were;

reporting repairs (47%)
reporting neighbourhood problems (42%)
checking on work programmes (41%)
making complaints or comments (40%).

85% of residents said they used local recycling facilities and 92% agreed that recycling is an important way to protect the environment and that they do what they can.

59% considered their homes to be well insulated, while 48% would like advice on reducing their fuel or utility bills.

93% of respondents had a bank or building society account, and 25% were aware of York Credit Union, while 27% said they had access to low cost loans or borrowing.

Finally, residents were asked which support services they were aware of, and which they feel they would benefit from. The service for which awareness was highest was benefits advice (69%), followed by information being available in other formats (45%) and debt advice (36%), although 22% of respondents were not aware of any of the services listed.

The services most likely to be of interest to residents were benefits advice (35%), assessment for home adaptations (22%) and debt advice (11%). As many as 20% of all respondents felt they would benefit from benefits advice but were unaware this service was offered.

See a full copy of the report.

Information on our performance.
Information on our finances.