STAIRs – Listening to our customers

We held a focus group with 11 customers to learn more about how people find and use information from Citizen.

We wanted to understand what works well, what could be improved, and how we can make information easier for everyone to access and understand.

What is STAIRS?

STAIRS stands for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements. It helps make sure social housing providers are open and transparent with customers by sharing information about how homes and services are managed. Through STAIRS, customers can view information that Citizen publishes and, in the future, will be able to request certain information directly.

You can find out more and view the publication scheme here:

Citizen Housing Website: STAIRs

What you told us

Customers told us:

  • Not enough people know about STAIRS.
  • Some information is difficult to find.
  • Information should be written in plain English.
  • More information would be helpful about repairs, spending, planned maintenance and Net Zero.
  • Customers want clearer ways to ask questions and provide feedback.

One customer said:

"If we can't access it, it's not useful."

What we've changed

We have already started making improvements based on your feedback.

✅ All new documents added to the STAIRS publication scheme now use Recite Me accessibility technology.

✅ Documents can be translated into different languages.

✅ Documents are easier to print and access.

✅ The STAIRS webpage can be read aloud using the Recite Me tool.

These changes were made because accessibility was one of the main themes raised during the focus group.

What we're working on

We're continuing to improve the way information is shared.

Over the coming months we will:

  • Make more existing documents easier to print and access.
  • Develop helpful FAQs based on customer questions.
  • Continue improving how information is presented across the website.
  • Use customer feedback to shape Phase 2 of STAIRS.
  • Introduce a process for information requests from April 2027.

Your feedback is making a difference

The feedback from our focus group has directly influenced how we are improving STAIRS and designing future services.

Thank you to everyone who took part and helped us make information easier to find, understand and use.


We held a focus group with 11 customers to learn more about how people find and use information from Citizen.

We wanted to understand what works well, what could be improved, and how we can make information easier for everyone to access and understand.

What is STAIRS?

STAIRS stands for Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements. It helps make sure social housing providers are open and transparent with customers by sharing information about how homes and services are managed. Through STAIRS, customers can view information that Citizen publishes and, in the future, will be able to request certain information directly.

You can find out more and view the publication scheme here:

Citizen Housing Website: STAIRs

What you told us

Customers told us:

  • Not enough people know about STAIRS.
  • Some information is difficult to find.
  • Information should be written in plain English.
  • More information would be helpful about repairs, spending, planned maintenance and Net Zero.
  • Customers want clearer ways to ask questions and provide feedback.

One customer said:

"If we can't access it, it's not useful."

What we've changed

We have already started making improvements based on your feedback.

✅ All new documents added to the STAIRS publication scheme now use Recite Me accessibility technology.

✅ Documents can be translated into different languages.

✅ Documents are easier to print and access.

✅ The STAIRS webpage can be read aloud using the Recite Me tool.

These changes were made because accessibility was one of the main themes raised during the focus group.

What we're working on

We're continuing to improve the way information is shared.

Over the coming months we will:

  • Make more existing documents easier to print and access.
  • Develop helpful FAQs based on customer questions.
  • Continue improving how information is presented across the website.
  • Use customer feedback to shape Phase 2 of STAIRS.
  • Introduce a process for information requests from April 2027.

Your feedback is making a difference

The feedback from our focus group has directly influenced how we are improving STAIRS and designing future services.

Thank you to everyone who took part and helped us make information easier to find, understand and use.