Property Management for Housing Associations

Opinion
Written By POD

Housing Associations are at the heart of delivering safe and secure homes - but managing buildings, shared ownership homes and satisfying regulatory requirements has become more complex. This is where POD can step in as a trusted partner to deliver property management for housing associations: our expertise in the private sector gives us strengths that housing associations are not yet fully able to exploit. We can take care of building maintenance, compliance, reporting, and resident satisfaction so that our housing association clients focus on supporting their tenants. 

Here, we look at the key ways we deliver value, and how we help housing associations meet newer regulatory requirements, including Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), to deliver the best results possible.

Understanding Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs)

The Regulator of Social Housing introduced Tenant Satisfaction Measures, effective from April 2023 (with reporting beginning 2023-24), under the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

TSMs are designed so tenants can see how well their landlord (including housing associations) is doing, particularly in these areas:

  • Repairs and maintenance (speed, quality, meeting timescales)

  • Building safety, safety checks (gas, fire, asbestos, etc.)

  • Complaints and engagement: how fast complaints are dealt with, how well tenants’ views are listened to.

  • Neighbourhood and anti-social behaviour and common-area upkeep.

There are in total 22 measures: 12 derived from tenant perception (surveys), and 10 from operational data (management records) that measure the likes of compliance and performance.

Shared ownership homes fall under “Low Cost Home Ownership” (LCHO) in TSMs, which have slightly different responsibilities (e.g. shared owners often have internal repair responsibilities) and generally report lower satisfaction in many measures. 

More information on this can be found here.

How POD Management Helps Housing Associations Excel

Here’s how POD Management’s services align with housing associations’ needs and how we help them not only meet but exceed expectations under the TSMs, whilst making their costs and operations transparent and efficient.

Transparent Cost Calculations

We present how costs are calculated in simple, useful formats, whether this be from maintenance, safety checks, to shared ownership service charges. Housing associations can see exactly what they pay for, helping budget accuracy, with no nasty surprises.

Advance Budget Scheduling

We issue budgets well ahead of payment cycles, giving associations lead time to plan cash flow. Avoiding last-minute shortfalls means better financial stability, fewer disputes and minimises rushed decisions.

Electronic Consolidated Demands and Shared Ownership Clarity

All demands/invoices are sent electronically, with detailed breakdowns if required. For shared ownership properties we do this at no extra charge. This is important given their dual responsibilities inside/outside the home and their sensitivity under TSMs.

Fair Payment Terms and Flexibility

While we operate under standard terms, we extend generous payment periods, and we do not impose late payment fees (subject to terms) when associations have been issued clear guidance and budgets. This builds trust and reduces friction.

Automated Complaint Reporting and Regulatory Compliance

POD can automate complaint capture and reporting so associations can meet the TSMs for complaints and engagement, tracking response times, transparency, and ensuring clarity on how complaints are handled and resolved with speed, fairness and clarity.

Resident Communications

Providing we have an up to date database, we can issue resident communications directly so that housing associations ensure tenants get clear, consistent messages. What’s more, our tailored solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of each development. Through consistent community engagement, we ensure resident satisfaction and work to create thriving communities.

Supporting Safety Measures and Compliance

Building safety checks, for example, fire doors, asbestos, water, gas, lifts, are non-negotiable under Tenant Satisfaction Measures. POD Management ensures these are up to date, documented, and reported. Health, safety and compliance is something we are extremely passionate about here, in fact, The British Safety Council recently published our 5 star results as part of their client case studies online.

Helping to Meet Key Metrics

As part of our property management for housing associations model, we provide full reporting packs, with shared data available on request through our smart systems. This way, KPI’s can be monitored and evaluated easily. We can also help to interpret the data and find improvement areas.

Tenure-Agnostic, Unified Service

We will always treat all customers equally. Unified communications, transparency, fairness across all tenure types helps avoid gaps in satisfaction and improves overall perception metrics.

Why This Gives Housing Associations a Competitive Edge

If a housing association is bidding for new contracts or collaborating with developers on schemes with affordable/shared ownership elements, having a partner like POD lets them show:

  • Strong compliance with regulatory standards, helping reduce risk in bid proposals.

  • Better resident satisfaction data, especially where shared ownership is involved (which often underperforms in TSMs if not well managed) and clarity of service responsibilities.

  • Clear cost control and transparency. This is important in affordability negotiations, developer/Housing Association partnerships, and when demonstrating value for money.

  • Reliable reporting and digital capability (electronic invoices/demands, automated complaints, resident communications), which many Housing Associations currently struggle with or do inconsistently.

Our Promise

When a housing association partners with POD Management for property management for housing associations, they get more than just someone to keep buildings in order. They get:

  • Expertise honed in the private sector, which often operates more efficiently and with better customer service.

  • Services designed to hit all major Tenant Satisfaction Measures, both operationally and in terms of tenant perception.

  • Processes that are transparent in cost, predictable in delivery, and fair across all tenures.

  • Strategic reporting and communications that allow the housing associations not just to tick compliance boxes, but to show measurable improvements and strong stakeholder credibility.

Get in Touch

Looking for property management for housing associations done properly? The team at POD Management work collaboratively to raise your performance, streamline compliance, improve resident satisfaction, and strengthen your tenders for new projects. Let us show you how we can support you today:

We look forward to hearing from you!

POD
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