"Deliver quality services to residents in a way that is accountable, transparent, and guided by their voice and needs"
This year we continued to put residents at the centre of everything we do, making sure our services are shaped by their experiences and held to account by their feedback. Even in a challenging environment, tenant satisfaction held steady at 78%, which tells us we are keeping our promises to residents while there is still more to do.
Listening to residents and acting on what we hear remained a central part of our approach this year. Our resident scrutiny arrangements continued to develop, giving residents an established and practical way to review services and influence improvement. Welcoming resident representation onto the Board built on this wider approach, bringing lived experience even closer to strategic decision-making.
We also listened and acted when residents told us things needed to improve. In response to feedback about communal areas, we agreed a £50,000 improvement fund in our 2026/27 budget, alongside changes to our contract arrangements. It is a practical example of us adapting how we deliver services to fix the things that matter most to residents.
Keeping homes safe and well maintained remained central to our work. We sustained strong health and safety performance, re-tendered our repairs contractors, and delivered our most ambitious planned maintenance programme. We also prepared for new requirements on the horizon, including Awaab’s Law, so that we continue to meet the highest standards of safety and quality.
Better data is helping us understand residents’ needs more clearly. Working with our partner Acuity, and combining survey responses with existing information, we are building a stronger picture of resident circumstances and vulnerability. Data collection remains ongoing and continues to improve, giving us better insight to develop services with residents in mind. Our plan to enhance data-informed service provision has also been supported by better knowledge of property condition, with more than 84% of our homes now having had a recent survey completed. We also strengthened our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, so that services are shaped in a fair and tailored way.
On the environment, we began the first year of a three-year programme to improve the energy efficiency of homes. 73% of our properties now reach EPC C, and while progress has been slower than we had hoped, our ambition to reach EPC C or above across all homes by 2029 remains firmly in place.
Taken together, this work reflects a clear and structured approach to improving services, combining resident insight, strong performance and better data. There is more to do, but the progress this year gives us a solid foundation to build on.
The work of our Resident Scrutiny Panel and wider framework of engagement remained essential, giving residents a genuine say in how we perform on issues that matter to them, including how we handle complaints.
We also created more opportunities for residents and Board Members to talk directly, so that decisions taken at Board level reflect real life on the ground.
By welcoming resident Board Members, we have gone a step further, making sure the resident voice is heard clearly at the very top of the organisation, firmly at the heart of our governance arrangements.
Our residents’ voices have continued to shape our services this year. Resident representation on the Board has strengthened that voice further,and by listening carefully and using better data, we are making decisions that better reflect what matters to the people who live in our homes.
Chiddingstone, Kent
Longstock, Hampshire
To measure our success, we use a set of performance indicators within our Business Health Dashboard, reviewed monthly and at every Board meeting. These indicators cover both financial and non-financial outcomes, giving a rounded view of our performance against our strategic ambitions and how well we meet stakeholder expectations.
Our key focus areas include:
New Supply Delivered: We remain committed to building new affordable homes in rural communities. This year we completed 27 homes, delivering new supply of 1.7% against a sector benchmark of 1.0%. The Board has set a target of close to 2% average growth over the next five years, equivalent to more than 150 new homes.
Reinvestment: We continue to invest in both existing and new homes. Our reinvestment measure was 9.5%, well above the benchmark of 4.7%, with over £10 million invested in new development and more than £1 million in works to existing properties during the year.
Operating Margin: We aim to improve efficiency to support investment and manage debt. Our social housing operating margin was 24.5%, ahead of the 23% benchmark, with an overall margin of 21.9%.
Cost per Home: Careful management means our headline social housing cost per unit was £4,457, comparing well against the sector benchmark of £5,263, while still providing fully for planned investment in residents' homes.
Environmental Performance: We have ambitious targets to improve energy efficiency, aiming for EPC C or above across all homes by 2029. This year 73% of our homes reached EPC C, and while progress was slower than planned, our commitment remains firm.
Advocacy: We remain a leading voice for affordable rural housing, investing 3% of spend on advocacy in line with our target. This helps us influence government and partners, enabling us to deliver more new homes.
English Rural's approach to Value for Money (VfM) remains central to delivering our strategic ambitions. Our Value for Money Strategy sits alongside these ambitions to help ensure our objectives are met as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Hambledon, Hampshire
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Tenant satisfaction remained high at 78%, with more than three-quarters of residents satisfied with our services.
Resident scrutiny and voice strengthened, with resident representation now at Board level.
£50,000 improvement fund agreed, alongside changed contract arrangements for the care of communal areas.
Comprehensive data collection and analysis, with around 40% drawn from our Acuity survey, giving far greater insight when combined with existing data on resident vulnerabilities and 84% coverage on stock condition.
Strong health and safety performance sustained, supported by the re-tendering of repairs contractors and successful delivery of planned maintenance works.
>> Embedding resident voice at every level, importantly including governance, is essential to delivering services that are genuinely accountable and shaped by lived experience.
>> Using data alongside resident feedback enables more targeted, responsive services that better reflect diverse needs and improve decision-making.
>> Being willing to act quickly on identified issues, through funding, contract changes and service adjustments, is key to maintaining quality and trust with residents
