Tenant participation on the agenda

A new consultation on the future of tenant participation in the social rented sector is due to be released in January 2015. Tenant participation is just one element of the overall package of possible reforms of the social rented sector which is currently being looked at. The other main reform areas being considered are:

• Regional housing functions
• The landlord functions of the Housing Executive
• Rent setting
• Regulation of social housing.

At a recent meeting of the Social Development Committee (SDC), representatives from the Department for Social Development (DSD) put forward a draft consultation document for approval.  The DSD believes that a tenant participation strategy is needed in Northern Ireland. Compared to other jurisdictions in the UK there is no consistent approach to tenant participation on the part of social landlords in NI.

What is tenant participation?

Housing Rights Service believes that tenants should be at the heart of any government plans to reform social housing in NI. In line with the general trend for customer-focussed services, housing providers and support services need to ensure that tenants are at the centre of their service delivery and are shaping the kinds of services they will want to use.

Tenant participation should occur when government agencies, landlords and other relevant bodies share information, ideas and decision-making with tenants and, where appropriate, with relevant stakeholders. It is a principle which has increased in importance over the years and which Housing Rights Service welcomes the development of tenant participation in NI. Tenant participation is well established in England and Wales. However, Scotland has gone a step further with their Social Housing Charter, which gives social tenants an extensive role in Scottish housing policy development and management, including participating in the scrutiny of social landlords.

The proposals for tenant participation

Following discussions with tenants, social landlords and other interested groups, the DSD has formulated a number of proposals for consultation:

• The role of social landlords - social landlords should be required to develop and operate a strategy for developing tenant participation.
• Regulation – social landlords should be regulated to ensure that they are fulfilling their commitment to tenant participation. They plan to introduce a tenant participation standard into the regulatory framework which can then be assessed and inspected.
• Support – the DSD will commit to exploring the development of independent tenant focussed support to enhance tenant participation.
• Empowerment – the DSD will investigate measures to advance, not only the participation of tenants, but also their empowerment e.g. tenants’ right to manage their social landlord’s housing management services.

HRS looks forward to the development of tenant participation in NI. Last year we held a conference on ‘Involving Tenants’ which included input from a wide range of speakers from across the UK where tenant involvement is well established.   At the conference, Alex Maskey MLA, chair of the SDC stressed that tenant participation was a priority when looking at social housing reform. We look forward to contributing to the upcoming debate.