Communicating with tenants

Understanding Our Tenants & Homes Survey 2025

From November 2025, we will be working alongside a research company called Acuity, to carry out a census of all East Suffolk Council (ESC) tenants. This will allow us to update the records we hold on tenants, including preferred method of contact and any vulnerabilities within the household.  

Why are you organising a tenant census? 

Data protection legislation requires us to make sure that the details we hold about our tenants and leaseholders is correct.    

Communicating with you and delivering our services, in a way that meets your needs, is important to us.  

We recognise that to allow us to do this, we need to improve the information we hold about you.  This includes details of any vulnerabilities and the adjustments we need to make to improve our communication, and when delivering services to you.  

What does it involve? 

Tenants with an email address will be sent a link to complete the survey online in November. Tenants may also receive an SMS message with a link to the survey. Emails will come directly from Acuity. All non-responding tenants will be sent a letter and paper survey. Your Housing Officer may also visit or get in touch with you. Acuity may follow up with a phone call. Any calls or texts will come from 01502 463007.

We would really appreciate your time in completing the census.

More information can be found in the FAQs below.   

Who is Acuity? 

Acuity specialises in running exercises like this for social housing landlords across the country and will be carrying out the census on our behalf.  They will keep your information confidential and are not allowed to use your details for any reason other than running this census.  They will conform to the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). 

What will you do with the information and how will you use it? 

The details you share with us are kept confidential and will be used to make sure we are providing the right services to you and that your needs are properly met. ESC and Acuity will act in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR.  Further information is available on our privacy notice.

If you would like to speak to us about the census before it is sent out, please email housingservices@eastsuffolk.gov.uk.

What is the survey about?

The survey is a large-scale housing census covering tenant and demographic data which will be used to update current tenant and household information that East Suffolk Council holds in their Housing Management system. The data provided will be used to improve how it communicates with its tenants and ensures fairness, as well as making sure services are accessible and equitable. All households will be invited to participate in the survey over 15 weeks from mid November through to late February. The survey is expected to close on 21 February 2026.

Who are Acuity?

Acuity Research & Practice (Acuity) provide tenant satisfaction surveys and benchmarking services, helping housing providers to improve services and engage with their tenants through an understanding of satisfaction, performance and profiling data. They have been providing consultancy services to the social housing sector for over 26 years.

There are several ways tenants may be asked to take part:

• Completing the survey online – From mid November, Acuity will send an email to tenants with an email address, including a link inviting tenants to complete the survey online. Non-respondents will also receive reminder emails to complete the survey throughout the survey period. Tenants may also receive an SMS message with a link to the survey.
• Tenant letter – all non-responding tenants will be sent a letter and paper survey from 8 December, which will include a unique QR code allowing residents to complete the survey online.
• Telephone surveys – From 12 January, Acuity will call tenants who have not yet completed a survey, inviting them to take part in the survey with a telephone interviewer. The telephone survey will take approximately 10-12 minutes to complete. 

What number should tenants look out for?

If you receive a call or a text from Acuity the number displayed will be a UK telephone number, 01502 463007, which is a local area code. If the tenant sees a missed call from this number and calls back, they will hear a recorded message informing them that someone from Acuity tried to call them to complete a survey for their landlord.

When will Acuity call tenants?

Acuity only make calls between the hours of 9:00am and 20:00pm Monday to Friday and between the hours of 10.00am and 18:00pm on Saturday. Interviewers allow the telephone to ring for a minimum of 15 seconds, or until a voice mail system kicks in, to ensure tenants with mobility issues are given sufficient time to get to the phone.

What can ESC staff do to help tenants and boost response rates?

It is really important that frontline staff encourage tenants to take part at every opportunity and assist tenants with any queries about the survey and reassure them that the calls are genuine.

How will data be used?

All data that tenants provide will be used solely for the purpose of updating East Suffolk Council’s housing management system, which will help East Suffolk Council better tailor the services they provide to tenants. While East Suffolk Council welcome tenant responses, we understand if tenants are not comfortable answering particular questions and therefore tenants can select ‘prefer not to say’ in these instances.

Is the survey in line with data protection and what about quality standards?

All the calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. Acuity is a company partner member of the Market Research Society and is registered with the Information Commissionaires Office, and in line with the Data Protection Act is not permitted to release any details to any other organisation. Under the Data Protection Act, Acuity is not permitted to release any information that would allow an individual to be identified without their prior active consent to do so. Acuity also holds ISO20252:2019, which is the quality standard for market research companies.

Who should tenants contact at East Suffolk Council or Acuity if they have a query that is not addressed here?

If tenants have any queries about any of the survey, they may contact East Suffolk Council on 0333 016 2000 or Heather Metivier at Acuity (01273 287114 or acuity@arap.co.uk).

Want to know more about Acuity?

View the Acuity Research & Practice Limited website. All research projects are carried out in conformity with ISO20252:2019 and the MRS Code of Conduct.