New research to show what social landlords know about their tenants

New research aims to uncover how much - or how little - social landlords in England really know about their tenants and what potential benefits they could tap into by tailoring services more closely to meet customers' needs.

The new research from the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and Housemark in partnership with the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) will question over 1,000 housing leaders on the level of data they hold on their customers, how they use it to build up a clear picture of their tenants and how this customer insight is used to shape and develop services.

Understanding their tenants better not only ensures that housing providers deliver appropriate services, but that they also make support available in the right place, at the right time and in a way that is readily accessible. It is also fundamental to housing providers delivering the new TSA regulatory framework.

Steve Partridge, director of financial policy at CIH said: "Very little is known about the potential benefits of using customer insight to shape housing services, but it makes absolute sense that the more you know about your tenants, their needs and their aspirations, the better you can tailor your resources. This new research should give us the first hard evidence of investment and return on investment in this area for housing providers and the tangible benefits for their tenants."