Blazing the trail for tenant engagement

A groundbreaking trailblazer programme, which has seen thousands of tenants working with 130 landlords on issues that matter most locally, has led to increased tenant engagement and understanding of what tenants want, better services and improved value for money.

The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) initiative has resulted in 39 local standard trials operating across the country over the past six months. It also paves the way for other landlords to follow suit – where all 1,800 social housing providers have until April 2011 to agree with tenants and implement ‘local offers’ which are meaningful to tenants, hold landlords to account and address local matters.

The local offers need to supplement the TSA’s national standards focusing on issues such as tenant empowerment, repairs and maintenance and quality of accommodation.

In a report out this week on the 39 trailblazers, it sets out the progress and achievements so far. It features examples of good practice and highlights the numerous innovative approaches:

• the Hampshire trial, led by Sentinel Housing Association, brought nine providers together with a county-wide tenant forum. They are comparing the value for money of tenant involvement between providers and are sharing training across the county

• housing associations across Bristol collaborated with Bristol City Council on a trial based around the requirement in the TSA Home Standard to ‘provide an adaptations service that meets tenants’ needs’. As more than 40 per cent of social housing tenants are disabled or have a limiting long-term illness, the lessons from this trial could be widely applied. The trial has simplified the process for adaptations including giving associations the freedom to carry out work to a certain value without prior approval from the council

• Northwards ALMO in Manchester, which is delivering major improvement schemes, has focused on the quality of accommodation trial. Through coffee mornings and liaison with the carers and families of elderly residents, it has boosted involvement and awareness of issues

• West Kent Housing Association agreed an offer with tenants to make it easier for tenants to report repairs, agreeing a definition for ‘right first time’ repairs, and tenants committing to reporting repairs promptly and providing access to contractors

• The ALMO Bolton at Home and six housing associations have worked together with their tenants to set targets including responding to anti-social behaviour complaints within one working day in serious incidents and removing offensive graffiti within 24 hours.

The report outlines that more work was needed on the way organisations and tenants can work together when performance falls short of what is promised in the local offer.

Chief executive of the TSA Peter Marsh said: “Grassroots engagement with tenants was the starting point for these trials – and we’ve seen plenty of this. These trailblazers have shown that tenants are getting involved in drawing up local offers and asking for sensible improvements, and landlords have engaged well with tenants and demonstrated how co-regulation and tenant scrutiny work in their organisation.

“I have been particularly impressed by the innovative approaches, especially where multiple partners worked together in one geographical area. For example, the Hampshire pilot, led by Sentinel Housing Association, brought nine providers together and together they defined a common involvement standard.

“A great deal of learning can be shared from this work which shows how co-regulation – working together on issues that matter most – can lead to better services and improved value for money. The trials must now deliver against the targets they have set, but the results of the pilots so far should fire the imagination of tenants and providers to deliver great services in partnership.”

Going Local – landlords and tenants working together to raise standards is available from the TSA website – www.tenantservicesauthority.org. An accompanying toolkit to help other providers agree local offers with their tenants will be available later this week. A further report on the offers in operation will be published in November.