Our latest monthly Pulse Survey has revealed a striking disparity in rent arrears trends across the UK. Major urban areas have experienced a significant increase in arrears, with Manchester seeing a surge of 27.6% and London 19.5%

By contrast, landlords in Scotland have reported a notable decrease in arrears, down by 20.3%, and rural areas across the UK have shown improvements too.  

These stark contrasts balance out the overall national rate of rent arrears, which have remained relatively stable, ending June 2024 at 2.78%. 

Our monthly Pulse survey, which collected and analysed data from 158 social landlords over June 2024, highlights the complex and varied challenges faced by social housing providers.  

Housemark’s analysis has found that urban environments are contending with escalating arrears due to higher staff attrition and the inherent complexities of managing densely populated areas. In contrast, rural regions showcase more stable housing management conditions and effective income recovery practices, resulting in reduced arrears.

Jonathan Cox, our Chief Data Officer, said:

“These findings demonstrate the diverse challenges faced by social housing providers across the UK. While urban areas grapple with rising arrears, many rural regions are bucking the trend with effective management strategies. This underscores the importance of understanding regional dynamics and their impact on housing management and rent collection.

Interestingly, 44% of landlords who reported improved tenant satisfaction between 2023 and 2024 had utilised Housemark’s consultancy services. This highlights the critical role of data quality and customer experience in driving improved performance among social housing providers. Housemark remains committed to supporting landlords with data-driven insights to navigate these complexities and enhance tenant satisfaction.”

Other key Pulse findings include: 

  • The latest analysis of year-end Tenant Satisfaction Measure (TSM) results shows that 3 in 10 landlords recorded increased overall satisfaction rates between 2022/23 and 2023/24.
  • 19% rise in complaints volumes between June 2023 and June 2024; 3.86 to 4.57 stage 1 and 2 complaints per 1,000 homes (organisations reporting in both months).
  • This rise seems to have been driven by landlords ending the practice of recording informal complaints in line with the Housing Ombudsman Service’s complaint handling code.
  • Despite this, Housemark analysis shows as many as 1 in 3 landlords have below-average complaint volumes and could be risking non-compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code.

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