Dunedin Canmore, which owns or manages 8000 homes in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife, and Barony, which has 360 affordable homes and provides care and support to over 700 people across Central Scotland, are now in the top seven per cent of all IIP-accredited organisations in the UK.

Dunedin Canmore staff were praised for transforming their organisation and putting their customers at the heart of everything. Barony staff were described as having “a clear line of sight in what they did and how that made a difference”.

Four other Wheatley organisations - Cube and Loretto housing associations, Loretto Care and YourPlace Property Management - have already secured the Gold award. GHA, Scotland’s largest social landlord, holds IIP Platinum, the highest level of accreditation.

Barony chair Martin Kelso said: “This is a great achievement for staff. They are passionate about the work they do and the commitment, care and professionalism they show in delivering excellent services to customers are second to none.”

Dunedin Canmore chair Tom Mitchell said: “The effort the team has put in to achieve IIP Gold is fantastic. The transformation staff have accomplished is delivering better results already for our customers and maximising the customer experience.”

Peter Russian, chief executive of Investors in People Scotland, said: “I would like to congratulate both organisations and their people on their commitment to continuous improvement.

“Investors in People offers a flexible, practical and easy-to-use business improvement tool designed to help organisations and their people achieve their objectives. I hope more housing associations will be encouraged to sharpen their competitive edge by choosing to work with us.”