Residents recognise improvements to the Council’s Housing Services - but still more work to do

Satisfaction with Hackney Council’s Housing Services is higher now than when the service started its improvement drive - but there is still more work to do and the Council remains committed to making sure the enhancement of the service continues at pace.

The latest independent survey of 2,243 Hackney Council tenants and leaseholders was held over July and August 2025 following the Regulator for Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman’s reports on the housing service. 

It showed that tenant and leaseholder satisfaction levels are above those of 2022/2023 when the service started to implement its improvement plan. 

Compared to 2022/2023, by mid 2025 overall satisfaction in the service had increased by 6% to 58%, in the repairs service by 7% to 65%, that the landlord listens and acts on people’s views by 10% to 54% and that the Council keeps tenants informed of things that matter by 11% to 67%.

The Council is responsible for managing more than 30,000 homes and receives around 80,000 repair requests a year. 

Overall satisfaction with the housing service, the repairs service and the time taken to undertake a repair are all up in the recent survey compared to the previous year - a reflection of the Council’s work to reduce the backlog of overdue repairs by 65% since October 2024. 

There were areas where satisfaction levels didn’t rise compared to last year. These included being kept informed by the Council which was down 3% to 67%, satisfaction with the cleanliness and maintenance of communal spaces down 4% to 55% and satisfaction with the way the service handles complaints fell 1% to 28%. 

However, during this time the Council has seen a fall in the number of cases investigated by the Housing Ombudsman alongside a fall in the number of maladministration findings made against it.

Improvements to the service that have been made since 2022 have included improving the time to respond to reports of leaks as well as damp and mould, and introducing new ways tenants can help direct the enhancements in the service and inform the work of the service. 

In July last year  the Council announced plans to accelerate the delivery of the improvement work which included:

• reducing the time taken to complete repairs and works to tackle damp, mould and leaks and making the service more accessible and accountable; 
• installing a fit for purpose and secure back office ICT system - including a new integrated housing management system that will enable housing staff to get the information and coordinate the delivery of a high quality repairs and housing management service;
• speeding up the response to and resolution of any complaints about poor service;
• investing in workforce development and training to ensure that the teams have the right tools to do the job. 

The latest survey also showed satisfaction among leaseholders had increased since 2022/2023. There were also improvements in satisfaction from last year in eight of the ten areas they were asked about including overall satisfaction up 4% to 38% and 59% feeling they were treated with respect, up from 53%.

Cllr Guy Nicholson, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet member for Housing Management and Regeneration, said: “Hackney is committed to improving the quality, efficiency and delivery of the Council’s Housing Services.

“Nobody in the Council is under any illusion that this is a quick fix. The improvement journey Housing Services are on will take time but these figures show that while there is still a lot of hard work to do, the steps taken so far have built a solid foundation from which the service can continue to improve.

“However, while this hard work is being recognised we all know that not every resident who contacts the Housing Service has the same experience. We all recognise this is not acceptable and that there is still more work to do.

“Hackney’s housing teams are working hard to implement the improvement plan and the Mayor has ensured that the investment and tools the Service needs is in place to deliver a better service for residents.

“Together with a commitment to work alongside tenants and residents to improve the service, the Council is determined to deliver the best housing service in the capital.”

A sample size of 2,243 was used, which is in line with the Regulator of Social Housing's guidance to ensure the survey results are meaningful. 

For more information on how the Council’s tenants feel the service is performing see https://hackney.gov.uk/tenant-satisfaction-measures