By Dr Hannah Absalom, University of Birmingham
Social housing is meant to provide secure and affordable homes for those who need them most, but residents often face significant hurdles with repairs and maintenance. These issues impact not only the physical state of the property but the wellbeing of residents, leading to stress, health problems, and frustration.
The ESRC-funded ‘Home Encounters’ research project studies how tenants and landlord representatives encounter each other in the home. It is informed by a case study and workshops with social housing tenants trained in research skills. Drawing on robust research evidence from this project, the following piece outlines the challenges residents face, the underlying reasons, and their consequences, while offering practical recommendations for improvement.
Common problems with repairs and maintenance
Residents in social housing frequently encounter issues with repairs and maintenance, ranging from minor inconveniences to severe, life-altering problems:
- Delays in repairs: A major issue is a long wait for repairs. Much of England’s social housing stock is old and requires frequent attention. However, residents often wait weeks or even months, living in substandard conditions that can harm their health.
- Poor quality of repairs: When repairs are eventually carried out, the quality is often inadequate. Some issues are only partially resolved, leading to multiple visits by maintenance teams. In some cases, repeated visits seem like a tactic to avoid acknowledging structural problems, causing significant distress and financial strain on tenants.
- Dismissive and controlling attitudes: Many residents feel their concerns are not taken seriously by those responsible for maintenance. Complaints about serious issues, such as damp or structural faults, are sometimes blamed on tenants’ lifestyle choices rather than addressing the root causes. Additionally, when tenants make improvements without landlord permission, the response is often punitive, which further frustrates residents.
- Lack of communication and choice: Effective communication and real choice are crucial, yet many residents struggle with inadequate updates and a lack of input on repairs. This breakdown leaves tenants feeling isolated and ignored, living in homes that may induce feelings of shame due to mismatched materials used in a patchwork approach to repairs.
Underlying causes of these issues
To address these challenges effectively, it is essential to understand their root causes:
- Aging housing stock: England’s social housing is among the oldest in Europe, leading to more frequent and complex repair needs. Older buildings are more susceptible to issues like damp and structural wear, making repairs more challenging and time-consuming.
- Skills shortage: The sector faces a significant shortage of skilled tradespeople, particularly in high-demand areas like London. With private sector jobs offering higher wages, social housing providers struggle to attract and retain qualified workers, directly impacting the quality and timeliness of repairs.
- Bureaucratic processes: Repairs and maintenance services are often characterised by excessive bureaucracy, where cost-cutting and efficiency are prioritised over service quality and social value. This results in sluggish response times and a focus on procedural correctness rather than working with tenants to create a home.
- Cultural issues: A culture within some housing organisations dismisses tenants’ concerns, reinforced by the ‘gratefulness discourse’, which suggests tenants should be thankful for having a roof over their heads. This mentality downplays their legitimate needs and capacity to create a home, evident in the sector norm of allocating unfurnished homes with poor quality décor.
Consequences for residents
The impact of these problems on residents is significant, affecting both their physical health and mental wellbeing:
- Health risks: Unresolved issues like damp and mould can lead to serious health problems. In extreme cases, unsafe living conditions can pose life-threatening risks to vulnerable residents.
- Mental health strain: The Home Encounters study found that the ongoing stress of dealing with inadequate repairs, coupled with poor communication and dismissive attitudes, can take a toll on mental health. Residents often experience anxiety, depression, and a deep sense of frustration, exacerbated by the feeling of being trapped in an untenable situation.
- Breakdown of trust: Persistent problems with repairs and maintenance lead to a breakdown in the relationship between tenants and housing providers. When residents feel their concerns are not being addressed, it creates a climate of distrust, making it even harder to resolve issues effectively.
- Increased debt: In the Home Encounters study, some tenants report spending their savings or going into debt to fill gaps in the repairs and maintenance services provided by landlords. Poor experiences with repairs, or lack of knowledge, mean that tenants do not always seek permission for improvement works, risking further financial distress if landlords remove these improvements.
Recommendations for positive change
To overcome these challenges, a shift in approach is necessary, along with actionable steps that can make a real difference:
- Embrace the concept of home creation: Moving from a transactional model of social housing to one centred on ‘home creation’ can significantly improve residents’ experiences. This relational approach sees the home as a dynamic entity shaped by both material and emotional processes. By focusing on creating homes rather than merely maintaining properties, housing providers can ensure that repairs address both the material and emotional needs of tenants, including offering furnished tenancies and tenant choice over basic decoration.
- Invest in skills and training: To overcome the skills shortage, there needs to be a renewed focus on training and developing a workforce that is both skilled and empathetic. This includes technical training and incorporating social and emotional learning into the education of tradespeople. By improving the skills and sensitivity of those who carry out repairs, housing providers can ensure the work is done right the first time, and that residents feel respected and valued throughout the process.
- Empower residents with better communication and active choices: Residents should have a real voice in the process. Housing providers need to establish clear, open communication channels that keep tenants informed and engaged. More importantly, residents should be empowered to make active choices about their homes, such as selecting repair times that suit their schedules or having a say in the materials used. This approach builds trust, fosters a sense of ownership, and leads to more satisfied and engaged tenants.
- Include repairs and maintenance in social value accountancy: Repairs and maintenance should be seen as a core social purpose in housing, not just a service area for cost efficiencies. By viewing repairs as key investment activities, housing providers can work with tenants to create homes, resulting in improved relationships, longer tenancies, and cost savings in future financial years.
- Amnesty on investment works by tenants: A positive rather than punitive approach should be taken where tenants have invested in their homes. An amnesty on unauthorised improvements can acknowledge tenants’ efforts and prevent further financial and emotional harm.
Conclusion
The challenges faced by residents in social housing are significant, but they are not insurmountable. By adopting a holistic approach that emphasises home creation, improving the skills and training of those responsible for repairs, and empowering residents through better communication and choice, we can make meaningful strides towards improving the quality of social housing. These changes will not only address the immediate issues of repairs and maintenance but will also create a more supportive and resilient housing system where residents truly feel at home.
Additional sources
- Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2013). Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much. New York: Times Books.
- Shildrick, T., & MacDonald, R. (2013). Poverty and Insecurity: Life in Low-pay, No-pay Britain. Policy Press.
- University of York. (2022). Tenure and Damp: An Analysis of Housing Conditions and Tenant Behaviour. University of York Press.
- A Blueprint for Furniture Provision in Social Housing – End Furniture Poverty
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Birmingham.