Melville Housing has marked the start of its 30^th anniversary year in style, recording its best satisfaction levels for almost a decade.

Overall satisfaction sits at 90%, up from 88% in 2022 while 91% of tenants are happy with the quality of their homes (also up from 88% in the previous survey). 86% feel that Melville rents provide good value for money, up from 83% in 2022 while 95% are happy that Melville does a good job managing their neighbourhood.

The survey, conducted by independent survey company Research Resource, took place in late January with researchers speaking to more than a third (718) of tenants across all areas in which Melville operates.

79% said it was important to them that Melville, which was set up following a transfer from Scottish Homes in 1995, is a green organisation that does more to help the environment. When asked about their priorities for the coming year, the majority of customers highlighted making existing homes more energy efficient followed by building more homes and modernisation existing ones (upgrading things like kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems).

“It’s a very exciting year for Melville and these excellent satisfaction results are the perfect way to begin,” said Melville Chief Executive John McMorrow. “Putting customer first has been at the core of who we are throughout our 30 years and despite the many challenges we’ve faced in recent times, I’m delighted that our tenants continue to recognise this.

“Whilst these independent findings are extremely positive, there’s always room for improvement,” continued John. “We know that energy efficiency is an issue in some of our older properties and there are also some aspects of the repairs service that need work, however we are actively working to address these challenges. With that said, what these results show is that our fantastic team is providing the homes and services that the vast majority of our customers want.”

Staff and the level of care they provide came in for particular praise in the survey with all areas of customer service scoring satisfaction levels above 90%. Researchers also quizzed tenants on Melville’s advice services with both Welfare Benefits and Energy Advice receiving 100% satisfaction.

On maintaining existing homes, contractors carry out around 7,000 repairs to Melville customers every year and more than eight out of 10 spoken to said they are happy with the service they receive.