Our first year of Tenant Satisfaction Measures - what we’ve learned

Between September and November 2025, an independent research agency surveyed 546 Sparrow shared owners - around 18% of our customer base - about their home and the service they receive.

Overall picture:

• 37% felt satisfied with Sparrow’s service (down 4 percentage points from 41% in 2024-25)

• 27% felt neutral – neither satisfied nor dissatisfied (up 8 percentage points from 19%)

• 36% felt dissatisfied (also down 4 percentage points from 40%)

Our feedback also shows that some customers chose not to take part because they haven’t yet needed to interact with Sparrow. This, alongside a rise in neutral feelings, suggest many customers don’t yet have enough experience of us to form a clear view. That’s understandable — shared ownership should not require frequent contact. But when owners do need us, the experience must be clear, responsive and build confidence.

What’s working

There are some encouraging signals. Most owners feel safe in their home, which is fundamental. They are finding it easier to get in touch, suggesting early improvements are beginning to land. And, behind the scenes, core services are being delivered consistently, with strong compliance on safety checks and performance against regulatory timescales for complaints and repairs.

What isn’t

The clearest signal is complaints. While we are meeting required timescales, satisfaction with the experience itself is low. What matters is not just how quickly complaints are handled, but whether the process feels fair, clear and gives customers confidence that their concerns have been properly understood.

There is also more to do in how we manage communal spaces. Owners should feel confident these are being actively maintained – so, we’ve increased site visits, we’re working more closely with managing agents, and carrying out monthly safety inspections. The link between “you said” and “we did” also needs to be clearer — and that’s something we’re focused on improving.

Why this matters

These results reflect Sparrow’s first year, and a period where we were putting the foundations in place.

During the same time, we received a C1 consumer grading from the Regulator of Social Housing. That reflects strong oversight, clear accountability, and effective ways of listening to and engaging with customers.

But the perception results show this isn’t yet consistently felt in the customer experience. Strong foundations need to translate into a service customers recognise and feel improving. Closing that gap is our focus.

What we’re doing

We’ve already started to make changes. We’ve mapped where journeys break down, strengthened how we listen and respond, introduced real-time satisfaction surveys and feedback, and expanded our Customer Scrutiny Panel so more customers can shape decisions and hold us to account.

What’s next

In July 2026, we open the next TSM survey. That’s where we’ll measure whether these changes are making a difference.

We want to see more customers move from neutral to satisfied, a better experience when things go wrong, and clearer evidence that feedback leads to change.

If you’re invited to take part, we’d really encourage you to do so. It takes around ten minutes and directly shapes what happens next.