The Scottish Housing Regulator today published its National
Report on the Scottish Social Housing Charter 2024/25. It shows
that landlords performed well against the Charter, despite the
ongoing challenges facing them and their tenants and service
users.
Amid a national housing emergency declared by the Scottish
Government in May last year, social landlords collectively
allocated nearly half of all lets in 2024/25 to people
experiencing homelessness—the highest proportion since the
Charter was introduced. Some landlords have focused on reducing
the number of long-term empty homes to tackle the emergency,
which contributed to an increase in the average time taken to
re-let properties.
Today's report also shows that:
- tenant satisfaction remains high, and while satisfaction
levels among Gypsy/Travellers has increased, levels among
factored owners are at their lowest since the introduction of the
Charter for the second consecutive year;
- more homes meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard than
last year; and
- rent arrears have continued to fall.
The Regulator also published a suite of performance information
alongside the National Report including individual landlord
reports, an online interactive comparison tool, and all the
statistical information landlords provided under the Charter.
Garry Coutts, chair of the Scottish Housing Regulator said “We
know that 2024/25 was another difficult year for social
landlords, their tenants and other service users. Economic
uncertainty and volatility over the last few years has meant many
tenants have faced financial hardship and has increased pressure
on social landlords.
“Today's report shows that, despite this difficult environment,
landlords have maintained or improved performance against most of
the Charter outcomes and standards. This includes areas that
matter most to tenants, such as housing quality levels
increasing, tenant satisfaction improving, and landlords
achieving quicker response times for emergency repairs.
“Challenges remain, particularly the pressure on local
authorities' homelessness services. Systemic failure, that the
Regulator identified last year, continues to impact the delivery
of these services in some areas, with others at heightened risk
of being impacted. We will continue to engage with every local
authority and other stakeholders who have an interest in and
responsibility to tackle the growing problem of homelessness.”
The Regulator's National Report on the Scottish
Social Housing Charter 2024/25, landlord report and comparison
tool and all of the statistical data are available on its website
www.housingregulator.gov.scot
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April
2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to
safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use
local authority and RSL housing services. The Regulator operates
independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly
to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory
responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator consists of the
Chair and seven Board members. More information about the
Regulator can be found on its website at housingregulator.gov.scot
- SHR's current approach to how it regulates social landlords
is set out in its current Regulatory framework – Regulation of Social
Housing in Scotland.
