Almost 18,000 North Ayrshire tenants can now check up on their landlord’s performance.

Independent body the Scottish Housing Regulator have released their annual Landlord Reports.

And they show North Ayrshire Council performing well, with lower than average rents, great tenant satisfaction levels and better than average quality and maintenance.

The other major landlord in the area, Cunninghame Housing Association had rents above the Scottish average, but recorded excellent tenant satisfaction levels and better than average quality and maintenance.

The reports, launched for the first time last year, now include a year-on-year comparison, allowing tenants to further monitor and compare their landlord’s performance.

Cunninghame Housing Association chief executive Frank Sweeney said: “The Association is delighted with the Landlord Report issued by the Scottish Housing Regulator on our performance against the Scottish Social Housing Charter that sets out the standards and outcomes that landlords should achieve.

“Our performance reflects the commitment of our voluntary Board of Management and our staff to provide a quality service to our tenants and to seek continuous improvement in all the services we deliver.” North Ayrsahire Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Councillor Tony Gurney, said: “It is hugely rewarding to receive this excellent external validation from the Scottish Housing Regulator for our Housing Service. The team is highly acclaimed and widely recognised for its excellent public service and nationally considered to lead the way when it comes to housing allocations, voids, rent arrears and homelessness.

“As well as this, the team boast a truly remarkable ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’ grading across all of their service areas and have been accredited with an ‘A’ rating for service delivery from the Scottish Housing Regulator – as well as having among the lowest staffing costs of all Scottish local authorities.

“In addition, the team has received numerous accolades for their innovation and level of service. Bodies such as the Scottish Government, Investors in People, Care Commission, CoSLA and Quality Scotland - to name but a few - have acknowledged their efforts and outcomes.

“The continued success of the service is due to our highly committed and motivated staff who, not content to rest on their laurels, are in continuous pursuit of opportunities to raise the bar even further.” Kay Blair, the chair of the Scottish Housing Regulator, said: “Following the launch of our first Landlord Reports last year, tenants told us they were a useful and accessible way to find out about their landlord’s performance when it comes to the things that matter most. “Our online comparison tool lets tenants quickly see how their landlord performed this year, how that compares with last year and how it compares with other landlords across Scotland.” “Publishing these reports is about helping to empower thousands of tenants in North Ayrshire and across Scotland and encouraging an open dialogue between tenants and landlords to help achieve the best quality of social housing in Scotland.” Fiona White, a tenant of North Ayrshire Council, said: “Whilst I think North Ayrshire Council provides a great service to tenants I think it’s good to have access to reports and the ability to see where my own landlord stands in comparison to others.

“I would be able to use the reports for background information if I ever wanted to discuss any issues I had with the quality of specific services. Being able to look back at previous years helps me to understand if my landlord is adhering to regulations, getting things right or performing better than it previously has been.” Tenants can read the Regulator’s reports, access the online comparison tool and watch a video demonstration of the comparison tool and its features on the Regulator’s website www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk.