News and updates from our housing team
Your Views Matter: Tenant Satisfaction Survey Results 2025/26
Find out how we're performing, and how your feedback is helping to shape our housing service
Thank you to everyone who took part in our 2025/26 Tenant Satisfaction Survey. A total of 755 tenants shared their views, helping us understand what's working well and where we need to improve.
The survey measures how satisfied you are with the landlord services we provide, and forms part of the Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs), which are a set of performance measures that are collected and submitted to the Regulator of Social Housing. These measures help us understand your views and experiences and identify where we need to focus our efforts.
This year's results show that 66% of tenants are satisfied with the overall service provided by our housing service. The survey also highlighted a number of other positive results:
- 74% of tenants are satisfied that their home is safe.
- 73% feel they are treated fairly and with respect.
- 71% are satisfied with the overall repairs service.
- 71% feel they are kept informed about things that matter to them.
Your feedback is important and helps us understand what's important to you, and it helps us shape our priorities, and assist us in making a positive difference to the services you receive.
Read the full Tenant Satisfaction Measures report to find out more about the results and how your feedback is helping us improve our services.
Landlord Assurance Board update
New tenant members join the Board to focus on improving services, tackling anti-social behaviour, and raising housing standards
The Landlord Assurance Board (LAB) welcomed three new tenant members at its meeting on 13 July. There are now five tenant members on the Board, helping to ensure residents' voices are at the heart of housing decisions.
You can read the full agenda for the meeting on our website, but highlights included:
- the LAB were shown the outcomes of a deep dive review into anti-social behaviour. There were several improvements recommended in the review and the Board were eager to see the action plan. They requested this to come to the Board in September. They welcomed a number of recommendations to improve services and communications, work across the Council with other departments, including Community Safety, and to strengthen partnership working with Bedfordshire Police.
- a presentation was given on the Decent Homes Standard following the latest update on the Stock Condition Survey. The Board was pleased to see the number of homes that have been surveyed and that only a relatively small number of properties are still awaiting a survey. The number of homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard has increased significantly over the past 12 months. The Board was keen to ensure that as many homes as possible are surveyed and that any necessary improvements are identified and carried out.
- some members of the Board will be attending the tenant event at the Grove Theatre on 29 July where they are keen to meet residents, discuss any issues and signpost anyone who is unsure of who to talk to. Be sure to come and say hello!
You can come to our next LAB meeting
The next LAB meeting will be at 10 am at All Saints View on 21st September.
All tenants are welcome to attend and address the LAB, or to observe the meeting. If you would like to attend the next meeting or register to speak, please register your interest.
Be prepared for hot weather
If temperatures rise again, these simple tips can help you, your family and your home stay safe and comfortable.
Hot weather can affect everyone, but it can be particularly challenging for older people, young children and those with long-term health conditions.
If we experience another spell of hot weather, here are some simple ways to keep cool:
- keep curtains or blinds closed on windows that face the sun during the hottest part of the day.
- open windows in the early morning or evening, when it's cooler, to let fresh air circulate.
- drink plenty of water, even if you don't feel thirsty.
- avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day, where possible.
- wear loose, light-coloured clothing.
- check in on neighbours, friends or relatives who may need extra support.
- keep pets cool and make sure they always have access to fresh drinking water.
Looking after your home
- keep air vents clear and unobstructed.
- never leave cooking or candles unattended, especially if you're feeling tired in the heat.
If you notice any issues with your home that become worse during periods of hot weather, please report them through our usual repairs service.
Looking out for each other
A little kindness can go a long way during periods of hot weather. Checking in on a neighbour, offering to collect some shopping or simply making sure someone is keeping cool can make a real difference.
You said, we did: improving our building safety policies
Your feedback has helped make our Building Safety Policies clearer, easier to understand and more accessible for everyone
Earlier this year, tenants helped review four important Building Safety Policies covering damp and mould, gas safety, electrical safety and our General No Access Policy.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the policies and share your feedback. Your comments have helped us make a number of improvements to ensure the information is clearer, easier to navigate and better explains what you can expect from us.
As a result of your feedback, we have:
- made reporting damp and mould concerns clearer
- added timescales to explain what happens after a damp and mould report is made
- improved the layout and navigation of the policies
- included clearer information about our complaints process and reporting safety concerns
- strengthened guidance on accessing properties and supporting tenants with additional needs.
We're also developing a tenant-friendly summary of our Damp and Mould Policy and adding further guidance to help you identify damp and mould issues and understand how they can be managed.
This is a great example of how tenant feedback helps shape our services. By sharing your views, you've helped make these important policies easier for everyone to understand and use.
Meadowsweet Place is blossoming into a thriving community
Residents are settling in and community is flourishing
Meadowsweet Place is quickly becoming much more than a new housing scheme. It is developing into a vibrant community where residents are making connections, building friendships and enjoying a range of new opportunities.
With over half of the apartments now occupied and only a handful remaining available, the scheme has already welcomed many new residents who are settling in well. The positive response from residents reflects the warm and welcoming environment that has been created.
One of the biggest successes has been the on-site café, which is open seven days a week from 8:30am to 4:00pm. It has rapidly become a popular destination, welcoming residents, staff and members of the wider community. The café recently hosted its first Sunday lunch, which was very well received and is expected to become a regular feature.
As more people move in, a real sense of community is emerging. Residents are naturally coming together to socialise in the communal lounge, gardens and café, creating new friendships and reducing social isolation.
One resident said: "I've been here since May. The whole team in the building give you so much support, and you're never on your own. It's very important when you're older to have that community feeling. We had a little sing song last Saturday, and we've got a birthday party on Sunday. I think this place is just full of love, and the team have become my family."
Residents are taking the lead in organising activities, including a weekly karaoke session and gatherings to watch the Women's Rugby World Cup together in the second-floor residents' lounge.
The positive impact of the scheme is also being recognised beyond its doors. Local transport provider Flittabus has introduced a revised timetable to better serve Meadowsweet Place, improving access to local services and helping residents stay connected with the wider community.
As allocations continue and more residents move in each week, Meadowsweet Place is proving to be far more than a place to live. It is becoming a welcoming, inclusive community where people can enjoy greater independence, develop meaningful relationships and feel part of a thriving neighbourhood.
Another resident said: "Living here is so enjoyable, every morning it's like waking up on a cruise liner. The staff are great and my neighbours are friendly, and already, even though it's only half full, there's a community feel. We're already organising events on Saturdays, Sundays and birthdays. Every day is a joy."
Meadowsweet Place is part of our independent living development at Red Kite Meadows, offering 88 one and two-bedroom apartments for people aged over 55, promoting independent living while providing care and support as needed. Residents are also benefitting from the onsite care support provided by Care is Central, who also operate the care home Honeysuckle Place and the adult respite unit Camelia Court.
Bringing housing services to your community
Our community roadshows are helping us meet tenants, listen to your views and improve the services you receive
We're committed to making it easier for you to get involved and have your say. That's why our Tenant Involvement Team has been visiting rural communities across Central Bedfordshire, taking our housing services directly to tenants through community roadshows and door-to-door visits.
These visits give you the opportunity to meet the Housing team, ask questions, raise concerns and find out more about the different ways you can help shape our services. So far, we've visited:
- Caddington
- Linslade
- Biggleswade
- Barton-le-Clay
- Toddington
We'll continue visiting communities across Central Bedfordshire and would love to hear where you'd like to see us next.
There are lots of ways to get involved
You don't need any special skills or experience – just an interest in improving the services that matter to you and your community.
By sharing your ideas and experiences, you can help us understand what's working well, what could be improved and where we should focus our efforts.
If you'd like to find out more about getting involved, or to suggest a location for a future roadshow, call 0300 300 6880 or email tenant.involvement@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Other opportunities to talk to us!
Upcoming events for our tenants - get involved!
We really value opportunities to keep in touch with our tenants, and our drop-in sessions are a simple way to do just that. They’re informal, welcoming sessions where you can speak directly with members of the housing team about anything on your mind.
If you’ve got a query about your home, would like some guidance, or simply want to check in with us, please feel free to come along. There’s no need to book - just drop by at a time that suits you and we’ll be happy to help.
We hope to see you at one of the upcoming sessions and look forward to catching up with you.
Tenant event: Wednesday 29 July from 11:30am to 2pm
Grove Theatre, Court Drive, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 4GP
All tenants, leaseholders, and housing applicants are welcome. Whether you have questions, ideas, concerns, or simply want to find out more about getting involved, we would be delighted to see you there. We will also be providing a dedicated children's play area, allowing parents and carers the opportunity to speak with staff and explore the support and services available.
Friday 31 July from 10am to midday
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Thursday 6 August from 10am to 2pm
Hall 1, All Saints View, Sapphire Place, Houghton Regis, LU5 5LP
See how we keep you safe in your home! Come along and meet our team and contractors, explore our stands, and find out how we keep your home safe. From fire safety checks to gas servicing, we’ll show you what “housing compliance” means, why it matters, and how it protects you every day.
Monday 10 August from midday to 2pm
Dunstable Library, The Dunstable Centre, Dunstable, LU5 4JD
Tuesday 18 August from 9:30am to 11:30am
Houghton Regis Library, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, LU5 5ES
Thursday 27 August from 2pm to 4pm
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Wednesday 9 September from 1:30pm to 3:30pm
Housing Information Hub, Dunstable Library, Dunstable, LU5 4JD
Friday 18 September from midday to 2pm
Housing Information Hub, Houghton Regis Library, Bedford Square, Houghton Regis, LU5 5ES
Tuesday 22 September from 11am to 1pm
Housing Information Hub, Ground Floor Library Building, Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 1RX
Share your views with us!
Help us continue to improve our housing service
We want to make sure you can contact us in the way that works best for you, and your views are essential to this process.
We’re always looking for ways to improve, but we can’t fix what we don’t know about. Your feedback helps us make things better for everyone.
Comments, compliments, complaints and service requests
Having your voice heard and providing your feedback is valuable to us. There are lots of ways that you can have your say about our housing service.
Comments
Often people want to suggest improvements to services. If you make a suggestion, we will record this as a comment.
Compliments
If you tell us about a service that has been good or a member of staff who has been helpful, we will record this as a compliment and share your praise with those involved.
Service requests
A service request is a request by you for us to take action to put something right. Service requests are not complaints, but we record them, monitor, and review them for learning and improvements. If we consider the issue raised to be a service request, we will ask the relevant team to reply to you directly.
Complaints
You can complain if you are affected by the way we provide services. Common examples of complaints are delay; poor record keeping; failure to act; failure to follow procedure or the law; poor communication; behaviour of our staff (also called officers); or giving out misleading information.
You can provide any of the above feedback by contacting Housing.Feedback@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or completing this online form.