Housing association tenants are more satisfied with the quality of their homes, their neighbourhoods and their landlords than ten years ago, according to new research from the Tenant Services Authority (TSA).

The survey of more than 21,000 tenants in England has also revealed that only 12% of social housing tenants want to go on to own their own home, down from 32% a decade ago – a decline that could be linked to rising house prices which means for many tenants, home ownership is out of reach or just too risky, the affordable housing regulator said.

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Chief Executive Peter Marsh said high satisfaction levels could also help explain why tenants were staying in social housing longer.

He said: "It's encouraging to see that, overall, 81% of tenants are satisfied with their landlords, a small steady rise over the past ten years. This is most evident in satisfaction about the quality of homes and neighbourhoods, which reflects the significant investment in improving existing homes over the past decade. Four out of five tenants are also satisfied with services such as dealing with repairs and handling complaints.

"But there’s no room for complacency. One in five tenants feel that their landlord takes no notice of their views, and 18% of supported housing tenants – those who are vulnerable and need additional help – want to move because of poor services. We want landlords to have a greater focus on these issues."

(CD/GK)