Using data published by over 50 landlords, Housemark has just released the sector’s first comparable analysis of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) data.

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) reporting helps investors, customers and wider stakeholders understand the impact a business has on the environment, how it benefits society, and how its governance structures ensure transparency about risks and opportunities. 

However, there were growing concerns that the social housing sector didn’t have a clear and consistent way of ESG reporting and so the Sustainability Reporting Standard for Social Housing (SRS) was launched in November 2020.  

The SRS is a voluntary reporting framework which covers 48 criteria across ESG considerations such as zero carbon targets, affordability, safety, and resident voice. The sector has made a great start in adopting ESG reporting, which many believe will become mandatory in the future. 

Housemark are now the first to use this data, published in line with the SRS, to compile a set of comparable results – delivering the first ESG benchmark for the UK social housing sector.  

Discover an exclusive hot off the press look at the full ESG analysis report here.  

“We have been keen to analyse ESG data from the early adopters to identify progress and trends, as well as helping landlords who are yet to adopt the metrics see the steps already being taken across the sector. Although the Sustainability and Reporting Standard is currently voluntary, it’s clear to see the value these metrics and comparisons are bringing to the sector both now and into the future.

 

As this information complements the wealth of data we already hold, at Housemark we will be embedding ESG reporting into our sector wide analysis as we are starting to see the impact that strong ESG metrics has on overall performance.” – Laurice Ponting, Chief Executive Officer, Housemark

In the exclusive Housemark report, we have uncovered a wealth of interesting insights. Discover below a first look at some of the top findings: 

Environmental 

The Sustainability and Reporting Standard measures across the environmental stream track the sector’s progress towards global emissions and zero carbon targets.  

We have uncovered social landlords’ top energy efficiency actions undertaken in the last year, with the top energy efficiency action being the improvement of building fabric and components of existing homes. 

We’ve discovered that 100% of new build homes have an EPC rating of C+ and 71% of existing social homes had an EPC rating of C+, along with discovering how well landlords are getting on with their ecology and resource management strategy. 

Social 

Social housing has a demonstrable social purpose and a well-established sense of corporate responsibility and social value. The information within this section focuses on affordability, ways landlords are reducing the impacts of fuel poverty on residents, building safety and quality, resident support services and resident voice. 

Here’s a snapshot of some of the findings: 

  • Homes are being let at around a 40% discount from both market and Local Housing Allowance.  
  • When it comes to building safety, 77% had a Fire Risk Assessment in place for all homes, 35% had a gas safety certificate in place for all homes and 60% met the Decent Homes standard across all homes. 
  • 83% of landlords use perception surveys to measure resident satisfaction 

Governance 

Governance measures aim to illustrate how landlords adhere to industry and regulatory standards.  

Analysis shows that 81% of landlords are Real Living Wage employers and of those who submitted data, there was a gender pay gap median average of 7%. 

Board composition remains an area of focus with enhanced reporting highlighting that women make up 37% of Boards, with BAME representation at only 9%, despite 73% of early adopters reporting data. Of the 47% of early adopters who reported disability data, more than half had no board representation. 

Half of the providers have conducted an external board effectiveness review in the last 2 years, with 4 out of 5 presenting succession plans.   

If you’d like to discover even more exclusive insights on ESG data from our analysis, the full report is available to read on our website.  

If you want to find out more about ESG reporting or any of Housemark’s unique data analysis, consultancy services, events, and membership, please contact info@housemark.co.uk.