The Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) survey is a requirement set by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). It sets the service standards and outcomes that all social housing providers in Scotland should aim to achieve.
The SHR requires landlords to conduct Customer surveys to gather satisfaction data at least every three years. This information is crucial for Places for People Scotland as it’s reported through the ARC.
The ARC is a document that Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and housing associations submit annually to the SHR, detailing performance against the regulator’s standards over the previous year. It covers a wide range of topics, from repair wait times to complaints handling and anti-social behaviour, providing a complete view of our performance.
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Our approach to the Customer survey
This year’s ARC survey was completed by a sample of Customers in line with the regulator’s rules. We invited a sample of Customers across all housing types to take part and only households which have opted out of surveys were excluded.
By taking this targeted, representative sample, we ensured strong results while managing the survey in a way that delivered value for our Customers.
Our survey ran from September to November 2024, with 535 responses collected by telephone, email and face-to-face conversations. This provided a strong, statistically valid base for understanding what matters the most across our diverse Communities.
ARC Results: Establishing our baseline for change
We’re pleased to share the results of our Customer survey, covering the 2024/25 financial year. Thank you to all our Customers who contributed to this. We now have a clear baseline that will help us to build on the extensive work already underway to drive real and positive change.
Feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed:
60.2%
Satisfied they are given opportunities to participate in decision making:
50.1%
Satisfied with the landlord's contribution to neighbourhood management:
59%
Satisfied with the repairs service provided:
67.7%
Satisfied with the quality of their home:
72.1%
Overall satisfaction:
69.6%
Work that is underway
In the Customer survey, our Customers identified three areas as improvement opportunities. Here’s the work already underway in each area.
Complaints
We’ve strengthened how we manage complaints, with clearer governance, better tools for our Colleagues and a renewed focus on swift, fair resolution, so every Customer feels heard. This is part of our broader move to a more proactive, relationship-based service that puts Customers first.
Repairs
We’re transforming repairs through innovation and investment — from introducing kitchen and bathroom pods that help vulnerable Customers stay at home during essential works, to using services like iCAB to find the best alternative accommodation when major works require Customers to move out. Our focus is on delivering a faster, more reliable service, with 95% of emergency repairs now responded to within 24 hours.
Communities
We’ve taken a more targeted approach this year, focusing on the specific needs of our most vulnerable Customers and the key issues raised in previous surveys. Our regional approach means our Community Housing Managers support smaller patches, helping them build stronger, trusted relationships with Customers. Combined with new internal processes and local initiatives, we’re creating more connected, responsive Communities where every Customer knows who to turn to.
What happens next?
The opinions of our Customers are the most important thing to us, that’s why we’ll continue to monitor our results and use them to drive improvements to our services.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s survey. We will be considering how we ask our Customers for their views for the next survey and are developing plans to make improvements and learn from these results.