SATISFACTION among tenants and leaseholders in Harrow rose dramatically between 2008 and 2010, a survey shows.

Three quarters of residents in sheltered accommodation and general council housing said they were happy with the service in 2010, nine percentage points above the 2008 figure.

Significantly satisfaction with repairs and maintenance work showed the biggest jump, of 13 percentage points, having been the worst performing section of the department's work in 2008.

Paddy Lyne, chairman of the Harrow Federation of Tenants' and Residents' Association, said she felt repairs were one of the biggest issues three years ago, when a government programme called Decent Homes ran into problems.

The scheme gave councils an ultimatum to bring its housing up to national standards but in Harrow residents reported a plethora of problems, including work being signed off before it was finished.

Ms Lyne said: “We only get the complaints but I think we are getting fewer. There's certainly been a change in attitude in the tenants."

She added: "I think the current management of housing are beginning to listen to the issues that the tenants and leaseholders raise."

Councillor Bob Currie, responsible for housing, said: “This is just the start of improvements for Harrow residents because we are committed to working even harder to build on these new levels.

“It is particularly pleasing for me to see that 78 percent of those questioned considered their neighbourhoods to be good places to live, while satisfaction with the repair and maintenance service, a problem area for many years, is up 13 percent to 73 percent satisfied.

“It is a key priority for Harrow Council's Labour administration that all of our residents have access to decent, quality homes.

“I am very pleased to see such a marked and positive increase in satisfaction among our tenants. At the end of the day they are the best judge of our services.”