Better resident communication and closing the loop

How can social landlords reach more residents and evidence engagement?  

Social landlords can reach more residents by using the channels people already use every day, especially email and WhatsApp, and by targeting the groups they rarely hear from. To evidence engagement, record who you reached, what residents told you and what changed, then close the loop with “you said, we did” updates. 

Beyond the tick box: improving resident engagement  

Whether a housing association or council-owned, the relationship between social landlords and residents is changing. In part due to some high-profile tragedies, including the fire at Grenfell in 2017 and the death of Awaab Ishak in 2020, the sector is under greater scrutiny.  

Changes in legislation, resulting in the strengthening of sector-wide standards and inspections have further contributed to this change. There is a greater expectation for social landlords to not only respond to complaints, but to build value for their communities and demonstrate meaningful engagement with residents on an ongoing basis.  But what does that actually mean in practice?  

What's changed? Resident engagement is now inspected 

The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 gave the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) stronger powers. It now carries out proactive inspections of all social landlords against the Consumer Standards and gives each landlord a consumer grade, from C1 (highest) to C4 (lowest). 

Within the Consumer Standard, the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard is central to engagement. It expects providers to: 

• give residents real opportunities to influence and scrutinise services 

• consult residents on matters that affect their homes and communities 

• share clear information, including performance and tenant satisfaction measures (TSMs) 

• show how resident feedback has shaped decisions 

The focus is on engagement that is proactive, tenant-informed and evidence-based. Setting up a resident panel and sending out an annual survey are no longer enough on their own. Inspectors want to see who you’ve reached, what they told you and what changed as a result. 

For the first time, councils with housing stock are now graded against the same standards as housing associations. And whilst housing associations have more experience in demonstrating their engagement with residents, achieving and keeping a C1 grade is a priority for every social landlord. 

Why better communication matters 

Communication shapes every part of a resident's relationship with their landlord. Whether this is from the resident engagement team, central comms team or from the finance or repairs team, for the resident, they are engaging with their landlord. Communications that are consistent and accessible build trust, respect and engagement. Yet when communications break down, this can have massive consequences on these relationships. The Housing Ombudsman found that in 68% of cases reviewed over 15 months, poor communication was a key issue. This suggests that the role of communication to mitigate complaints and increase trust is profound. 

Good communication can also change behaviour. Residents who are kept informed are more likely to report repairs early, complete surveys and take part in consultations. That's better for residents, and it gives you stronger evidence of engagement. 

Reaching beyond the usual voices  

Many providers hear from the same residents over again. They complete the surveys, attend the panels and respond to consultations. Whilst it is important to maintain relationships with these engaged residents, reliance on this group comes at a risk of mispresenting the whole of your resident population. This might mean you are missing diverse and rich insights and feedback from the ‘silent majority’ of residents who do not actively engage with your communications or outreach and remain unheard.  

These hard-to-reach residents may experience barriers to your communications, meaning it is even more important to develop a communication mix to suit their needs and preferences. They may include: 

• younger or older residents 

• working households, including shift workers 

• ethnic minority communities or those with English as a second language 

• digitally disengaged residents 

• mobile-first residents who rarely use portals or apps 

Speakers at the recent Inside Housing Communications conference shared ways of engaging with these different cohorts to include: 

• Using informal routes. Informal forums gave more honest, useful feedback than formal panels. Residents felt no pressure to commit, and engagement went up. 

• Offer value, not cash. Financial incentives didn't work well. Workshops and learning opportunities did, and contacts snowballed. 

• Turn critics into champions. One resident engagement team invited residents who had raised concerns to join a comms panel. They reviewed communications, saw the impact of their feedback, and gave approved content a "resident approved" stamp. That gave the content real credibility. 

One message came through clearly: "Listening isn't enough. It's taking action that's important." 

No communication is communication. 

Closing the feedback loop means showing residents that their voices made a difference. It is what turns listening into influence, and it's exactly what the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard asks for. 

When residents hear nothing, they assume nothing is happening. The no-news approach to comms provides updates to residents, even when there is no new information that can be shared. Taking this approach can help to ensure residents felt informed and shows you haven't forgotten them. In turn by providing proactive updates, it can help reduce the burden on services from residents seeking updates on a particular issue. 

The role of email in engagement and closing the loop 

Email is one of the most practical ways to communicate with your audience at scale. Residents don't need to download an app, register for a portal or remember a password. You reach them in the inbox they already use. 

Here's how email supports each stage of engagement: 

1. Inform. Send clear, timely updates on repairs, safety and service changes. Automated messages at each stage of a repair mean residents are never left wondering what's happening. 

2. Ask. Invite feedback through short surveys, polls and consultation links. One-click responses make it easy for busy residents to take part. 

3. Target. Segment by area, building, estate, neighborhood, service or preference, so residents get messages that are relevant to them. You can also spot which groups aren't responding and try a different approach. 

4. Close the loop. Send "you said, we did" updates to residents who gave feedback and to the wider community. Show what changed, what didn't and why. 

5. Evidence. Every send, open, click and response is recorded. Alongside your records of decisions and actions, this gives you a clear audit trail of who you reached and how they engaged, ready for inspection. 

Adding WhatsApp: reaching residents who rarely check email 

Email is powerful, but not every resident checks their inbox regularly. Many of the groups that landlords typically find hardest to reach include younger residents, shift workers and mobile-first households. That's where WhatsApp comes in. 

WhatsApp is the UK's most widely used messaging platform: 

• 82.6% of UK internet users aged 16 and over used WhatsApp in the past month, making it the most popular social platform in the UK (Kepios via Statista, Q2 2025). 

• 90% of UK online adults used WhatsApp in May 2025, up from 87% in 2024 (Ofcom, Online Nation 2025). 

• 74% used it every day, up from 64% a year earlier. 

• Reach is high across every age group: 94% of smartphone users aged 18 to 34, 91% aged 35 to 54 and 93% aged 55 and over. 

It's also where people spend their time. Smartphones account for most time online: 75% for men and 79% for women (Ofcom). A WhatsApp message arrives in a familiar app residents already open every day. There's no new app to download and no portal to log in to. 

Email and WhatsApp: more powerful together 

Each channel plays to its strengths. Email suits detailed updates, newsletters, consultations and surveys, and gives you a strong record of engagement. WhatsApp suits short, timely messages, such as appointment reminders, repair updates, safety alerts and quick feedback requests. 

Used together, they extend your reach. A resident who misses an email can receive a WhatsApp reminder that directs them to a required action such as a survey. And because you can track responses on both channels, you build a clearer picture of who you're reaching and who you're missing. 

The combination works especially well for closing the loop. Share a short "you said, we did" message on WhatsApp, with a link to the full update by email or on your website. 

What digital channels can't do on their own 

Not every resident is online. Ofcom found that one in 20 adults has no internet access at home, rising to one in five of those aged 75 and over. Some residents simply prefer to phone or call into the office. Speakers stressed the need to help residents become digitally confident, rather than expecting everyone to engage online. Email and WhatsApp work best as part of a mix that includes SMS, phone and face-to-face contact.  

An open or a click is also not the same as influence. The Regulator wants to see that resident feedback shaped decisions. Email and WhatsApp help you ask, inform and evidence, but the change itself has to come from services acting on what residents say. 

Five steps you can take this month 

1. Check your evidence. Could you show an inspector who you reached, what they told you and what changed? 

2. Find who's missing. Compare survey and consultation responses with your resident profile, and note which groups you rarely hear from. 

3. Set an update rhythm. Agree how often residents with open repairs or cases hear from you, even when there is no news. 

4. Start a "you said, we did" email. Share feedback you've acted on, regularly and in plain English. 

5. Review your channel mix. Make sure residents can engage by email, WhatsApp, SMS, phone or in person, whichever suits them. 

In conclusion 

Resident engagement is now something social landlords must evidence, not just promise. The Consumer Standards ask providers to give residents real influence and to show what has changed as a result. 

Better communication is how you get there. By keeping residents informed, reaching beyond the usual voices, to act on what they tell you and close the loop every time. Together, email and WhatsApp give you a simple, scalable way to do this, reaching residents who rarely check their inbox and creating a clear record of the engagement behind it. 

Want to reach more residents and evidence your engagement? e-shot brings email, WhatsApp and SMS together in one platform with accessibility, security and privacy standards built in, that is mobile responsive to ensure  you can reach more residents and evidence how your residents engage. Talk to our team to find out more. 

Frequently asked questions 

What do the Consumer Standards say about resident engagement? The Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard expects social landlords to give residents opportunities to influence and scrutinise services, consult them on matters that affect them, and show how their feedback shaped decisions. 

How are social landlords inspected on engagement? The Regulator of Social Housing carries out proactive inspections against the Consumer Standards and gives each landlord a consumer grade from C1 to C4. Inspectors look for evidence of meaningful, proactive engagement. 

What does closing the feedback loop mean? It means telling residents what happened as a result of their feedback, often called "you said, we did". It shows residents their voice makes a difference and builds trust. 

How can email help with resident engagement? Email reaches residents without an app or portal login. It lets you send updates, gather feedback, target specific groups and close the loop, while recording engagement you can use as evidence. 

Why use WhatsApp to engage residents? WhatsApp reaches 90% of UK online adults, and 74% use it every day (Ofcom, 2025). It helps you reach residents who rarely check email, including younger and mobile-first groups, through an app they already use.