The findings, which form part of the feedback from the Regulator’s National Panel of tenants and service users, give an insight into makes a difference to people’s journey through the homelessness system.

The report highlights the importance of clear information about what people can expect from the application process. Previous experience of homelessness services also has a significant impact on individuals’ experiences. The report identifies the challenges around adjusting to temporary accommodation and of the role of practical and emotional support in dealing with them.

Interviewees also highlighted the value of support from staff, both to help advise on the process and to help the transition to temporary and settled accommodation.

The homelessness research is part of the annual programme of feedback from the Regulator’s National Panel. This year, the National Panel also considered for the first time what tenant safety means for tenants. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it found that fire, electrical and gas safety are the most important aspects of safety for National Panel members.

The Panel fed back on the safety information coming from landlords. Around three fifths of members had received tenant safety information from their landlord in the last year. Around half of members have an appetite for more information from their landlord.

Iain Muirhead, the Regulator’s director of strategy and communications, said: “We’re reviewing our regulatory framework this year and we’ve signalled that homelessness services and tenant safety will be priorities for us. The upward trends in the Scottish Government’s recently published homelessness figures serve as a reminder of the scale of the challenge. We wanted to hear what is important to people experiencing these services. This feedback, along with our ongoing stakeholder discussions, will help inform our future approach and priorities.”

The report covers a number of other areas including landlord performance information and rent affordability. A large majority of members have seen performance information from their landlord – an increase from the previous survey. Members showed a broad interest in landlord performance information. Feedback on future rent affordability is very similar to the last survey, with two thirds of members expressing concerns about potential future affordability.

The research was carried out for the Regulator by Craigforth. The findings on homelessness are based on individual interviews with almost fifty current and recent users of homelessness services, including care-experienced young people, from seven local authority areas.

The Panel has more than 400 members. It is open to anyone who is a social housing tenant or uses social landlords’ services. Membership is diverse and includes people from urban and rural areas, across age bands, local authority and RSL tenants. Anyone interested in joining the Panel should contact Tracy.Davren@scottishhousingregulator.gsi.gov.uk.