Craig Moule said the Dispatches documentary titled ‘The New Landlords from Hell’, which aired this week on Channel 4, presented a picture of the 100,000-home landlord which is “simply untrue”.

The programme followed a year-long investigation to reveal what it termed “the shocking conditions that tenants of one of Britain’s biggest housing associations live in, and the effect those conditions have had on vulnerable tenants’ health”.

Testimonies were shown from a number of Sanctuary residents, including one in Aberdeen, who complained about cases of damp, woodworm and flooding and claimed that the Association had failed to respond to issues in a timely manner.

In one case, an elderly resident’s death was linked to the removal of a boiler in his home.

In a statement published after the programme, Mr Moule said: “I’d been in post as Sanctuary’s Group Chief Executive for a month when we found out the programme was being made. Like anyone would, I felt shocked and concerned. Had we let people down?

“Having seen the programme, we know this is not an accurate reflection of these cases or our wider services. I feel confident that we took the right steps throughout and that how our actions have been presented – that we refused to fix issues for example – is simply untrue.

“I strongly believe social housing should be a genuine, legitimate tenure of choice where people can live, raise families, be part of a community and grow old.

“I want our residents to know we care because they can see it and feel it in our actions.

“I acknowledge we don’t always get things right and if we have fallen short, we work with residents to make sure we understand why and how we can improve.”