This report card includes information about the performance of Shetland Islands Council (SIC) Housing Service between April 2023 and March 2024 as reported to Scottish Housing Regulator in the Annual Return of the Charter.
Properties Allocated
In 2023/2024, we successfully let 109 SIC properties across Shetland. This includes general needs and sheltered housing.
Also, through our Nomination agreement with Hjaltland Housing Association (HHA), 49 applicants were housed. The table below shows where SIC properties were allocated and where HHA properties were successfully nominated to.
| Locality Area | Council Lets | Hjaltland Housing Nominations | Total Lets and Nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central | 10 | 23 | 33 |
| Lerwick and Bressay | 44 | 17 | 61 |
| North | 18 | 5 | 23 |
| Isles | 21 |
3
|
24 |
| South | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| West | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Total | 109 | 49 | 158 |
Locality Area by Community Council Area
Property Turnover
The lettable properties that became available during 2023/2024 was 7.17% of stock, very similar to the previous year.
There continues to be a decrease in the average time to relet properties from 87.69 days during 2022/23 to 73.79 during 2023/2024. The properties with the longest re-let times are mainly in more remote and rural island areas.
Offers Made
We made 178 offers of housing, of these 24% were refused. The main reason for refusals was a change in circumstances for the applicant. This is a priority area for improvement in the current year but we would like to remind applicants to advise us of any changes which may affect their housing application and their ability to accept an offer.
Mutual Exchanges
In 2023/2024, there were successful mutual exchanges involving 10 SIC properties. A Mutual Exchange is when two or more tenants swap their properties to better meet their housing needs. You can exchange with another Shetland Islands Council tenant, a tenant of a housing association, or a tenant of another council.
Housing Applications
The number of applications on the housing register at March 2024 was 655 which compares to 705 in March 2023. Please note that this includes both live and suspended applications.
Housing Repairs
| Repair Priority with SIC Target time | No of repairs completed | SIC average time |
| Emergency (1 day) | 365 | 2.3 hours |
| Urgent (3 days) | 1517 | 2.2 work days |
| Routine (28 days) | 1956 | 16.0 work days |
| 3-Month | 37 | 43.6 work days |
| All Non-emergency (Urgent, Routine & 3 Month Total) | 3510 | 10.3 work days |
Repairs and Maintenance Satisfaction
During 2023/2024 the overall tenant satisfaction with the repairs and maintenance service was 92% with the majority of tenants saying they were very satisfied following a repair being completed.
Adaptations
There were 111 adaptations carried out to Council Houses in 2023/2024. This includes both minor and major adaptations from grab rails to level access showers and ramps. For the major works, they are assessed on medical need and recommendations from our Occupational Therapy colleagues.
Just over £165,000 was spent on property adaptations for specific tenant needs during 2023/2024.
Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS)
The Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) is used as a measure of housing quality in Scotland. To be SHQS compliant, properties must be up to standard in 3 areas - Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH), Electrical Testing and Fire Detection.
The compliance levels at March 2024 are shown below:-
- Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) - 83.5%
- Electrical Tests - 83.6%
- Fire Detection - 95.6%
Overall at March 2024, 74.6% of Council Housing Stock met the Scottish Housing Quality Standard for Social Housing.
Planned works by our repairs service and contractors are continuing to improve our pass rates.
The essential fire detection and electrical testing works requires access into our properties. We are having difficulties accessing some properties, so if you have been contacted regarding these works, please get in touch as soon as possible so the works can be completed. The No Access Procedure will be used where required.
Weekly Rents
The 2023/2024 average weekly rent for a lettable, self contained SIC property was £85.56 (general needs). Please note this includes all sizes of properties.
The average weekly rent increase applied to 2024/25 rents was 5%
Rent Loss
The percentage of rent due lost through properties being empty during the last year is 1.84%. This is an improvement from last year where it was 2.25%.
Arrears
The total rent arrears as at 31 March 2024 was 11% and remains the same as in the previous two years. This figure includes all arrears: current tenants, former tenants and amounts written-off in the year.
If you find yourself in arrears or have difficulty paying your rent, please contact the Council's Finance Recovery on 01595 744623 and the Citizens Advice Bureau on 015950 694696 who will be able to help you.
What happens if I fall behind with my rent.
Tenant Satisfaction
The key results from the last SIC Tenant Satisfaction survey, March 2023 are below.
| Charter Question | % of SIC tenants very and fairly satisfied |
|---|---|
| Taking everything into account how satisfied are you with the overall service provided by the Housing Service? | 79% |
| How good or poor do you feel the Housing Service is at keeping you informed about their services and decisions? | 81% |
| How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the opportunities given to you to participate in the Housing Service's decision making processes? | 53% |
| Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of your home? | 78% |
| Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the Housing Service's contribution to the management of the neighbourhood you like in? | 82% |
| Taking into account the accommodation and the services the Housing Service provides, to what extent do you think that the rent for this property represents good or poor value for money? | 73% |
Involving tenants
We are always keen to hear from tenants and to try and find ways of making it easier for you to be involved in shaping the services you receive from us. Ideas and views are always welcome. We want to provide good quality, value for money housing services to all tenants.
We continue to develop our Register of Interested Tenants, where you can tell us what you are interested in and how you want to be involved. If you would like to get more involved or have any queries regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01595 744360 or you can email housing@shetland.gov.uk
You can find out more information from our website.
Tenant Handbook
As you may be aware the tenant handbook is now available on our website. Tenant Handbook – Shetland Islands Council
As we are always looking to develop and improve the handbook, any feedback or comments are appreciated. If you have any queries regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact us on 01595 744360 or you can email housing@shetland.gov.uk
Full Charter Submission
Our full Charter submission and report from the Scottish Housing Regulator on our performance is available from the Housing Office and online at the Housing Regulator website.
Feedback on Report Card
We are keen to hear what you think of the information included in this Report Card - please let us know your thoughts. You can share your views with us by completing this survey or you can contact us on 01595 744360 or you can email housing@shetland.gov.uk
If you require a paper copy of the Report Card please contact us on 01595 744360 or you can email housing@shetland.gov.uk