Housing

Registered social housing providers, from housing associations to local authority landlords face a range of new pressures and challenges. 

They are expected to ensure that their resident engagement framework offers residents a meaningful role in shaping, improving and influencing the performance, decisions and plans that affect them, their homes and communities.

Regulatory and resident expectations will test that governance structures are suitably integrated to allow resident voice and influence to efficiently flow through the organisation. And that there is scrutiny, accountability and transparently running through its governance structure.

Housing providers may also want to test their resident engagement and governance arrangements against the National Housing Federation Together with Tenants Charter which sets the following standards:

• Relationships – treat all residents with respect in all of their interactions. Relationships based on openness, honesty and transparency.
• Communication – residents will receive clear, accessible and timely information from their housing association on the issues that matter to them.
• Voice and influence – residents views sought and valued and used to inform decisions. Individual resident feel listened to.
• Accountability – independently scrutinise and hold their housing association to account for the decisions which affect them and their communities.
• Quality – homes to be good quality, well maintained, safe and well managed.
• When things go wrong – simple and accessible routes for raising issues, making complaints and seeking redress.

We have been providing expert advice to the National Housing Federation on the Together with Tenants initiative and the creation of their independent Tenant Advisory Panel. We also advise and have completed extensive customer engagement reviews for other social housing providers and continue to work closely with NHF.

We can help you with a range of challenges:

• Governance reviews to test how the voice of residents is heard
• Resident engagement reviews
• Assessments of openness to scrutiny and accountability
• Test reviews to comply and exceed Together with Tenant Charter
• Review the effectiveness of your broader governance framework
• Board and resident committee development programmes

To discuss how we can help you please contact Ian.parry@cfgs.org.uk