John was speaking about a new pattern observed between overall ‘Star’ satisfaction and wellbeing questions at HouseMark Scotland’s first Value for Money (VFM) Club meeting of 2016.

John updated club members about the latest HouseMark analysis of tenant satisfaction trends and what factors drive satisfaction. At the event, senior managers and chief executives of social landlords from across Scotland, heard from the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) about what can be learned from the first two years of ARC data and different approaches to measuring satisfaction and value for money.

Kirsty Wells, head of HouseMark Scotland, said: “Last year’s VFM Club was a great success, and our aim for this year is to build on that. Judging from the feedback we’ve had, we’re hitting the mark and challenging some of the preconceptions about measuring tenant satisfaction and value for money.”

Club members also heard from Colin Donnelly, business and performance manager at River Clyde Homes, who talked candidly about their experience of transforming their performance over the last two years which has positively increased tenant satisfaction results.

Finally, members learned about how landlords south of the border are attempting to manage the impact of a changing policy environment. Martin Warhurst, managing director of Cestria Community Housing in County Durham, talked about the challenges of getting the right balance between expanding commercial activities to address income pressures, whilst reducing exposure to risk.

Speaking after the event, Kevin Scarlett, chief executive of River Clyde Homes, said: “The kind of discussions we’re having at the VFM Club can really help us be prepared for future challenges in the Scottish sector.”

The HouseMark Scotland team will be at the 2016 CIH Scotland Annual Conference on 1-2 March at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Visit stand 41 to find out more about how HouseMark Scotland is working with local authorities and RSLs to develop the business insight and solutions they need to improve and deliver better outcomes for tenants.

The next meeting of the VFM Club will take place in May 2016 in Glasgow. For more information, contact monika.gouws@housemark.co.uk or telephone 0131 240 5212.