Tenant Voice Week

 

Starts: Monday 27 September 2010

 

We are encouraging all landlords and tenants groups in Scotland to take part in Tenant Voice Week. We want tenants to tell their landlords what they think of their services, and landlords to actively listen. Tenants Voice Week is about focusing on what really matters to tenants.

 

Tenants Voice Week means listening to tenants at a local and a national level. Locally, landlords can act upon the feedback from their tenants. TPAS will record and report the views of tenants on our website and by written report to the Scottish Government.

 

How can my organisation take part?

 

Taking part is simple. Send us an email telling us how you plan to engage with your tenants with a view to using their views to improve your services. Email enquiries@tpasscotland.org.uk

 

How you do this, is up to you! Why not try something new on Tenants Voice Week? For example: a special event for tenants; an innovative way of finding out local tenant opinion, or; maybe just do something fun in the community.

 

Tenants groups may want to use the week to ask their members about what they think the priorities are in their community.

 

We will send you a copy of our logo, promotional information for use in your newsletters and details of how tenants can log their views and opinions with us.

 

How can tenants take part?

 

Contact your landlord to find out what they are doing for Tenants Voice Week.  Tenants groups may want to promote tenants voice week too and we can provide groups with promotional information to help.

 

Tenants should tell their landlords what they think of their houses, services and their work in the local community. Tenants should also tell TPAS what they think the Scottish Government should be doing to make social housing better for new and existing tenants. Email enquiries@tpasscotland.org.uk

 

 

Why take part?

 

•           Taking part is free, and all good practice will be shared

 

•           Listening to tenants can improve landlord performance and is an important part of the  

            modernised regulation regime

 

•           Landlords need to understand their tenants’ priorities in order to deliver the services  

             that people want

 

What some landlords are planning for tenants’ voice week:

 

• A community fun day
• Tenants conference
• Estate walkabouts with tenants
• Mystery shopping
• Newsletter to tenants
• Engaging with young people 

Landlords and tenants groups can engage with tenants in whatever way they choose on Tenants Voice Week. Whatever you are doing, we want to know about it. Email us, and we will put it on our website.

 

TPAS are here to help

 

Contact TPAS if you need any help or ideas in tenant participation. We can help with tenant consultation, training and tenant participation strategy development.

 

Tenant participation and changes to national housing policy

 

Tenants Voice Week could also be an opportunity to engage with tenants about the detail of the new Housing Bill. In particular, landlords may want to discuss setting standards with tenants as well as considering what should be included in the new Scottish Social Housing Charter.

 

Some reasons to involve tenants in consultation over national housing policy:

 

• A new Housing Bill, which proposes a Scottish Social Housing Charter is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament. Now is a good time for people to have their say about the content of this charter

• Listening to tenants can improve landlord performance and is an important part of the modernised regulation regime 

• The Scottish Social Housing Charter aims to define and describe the value that landlords should be delivering.

• The charter will establish a number of ‘high level outcomes’ that all social landlords across Scotland should be achieving, or working to achieve, tenants and landlords can work together to develop these outcomes.

• Once in place, the Charter will provide the framework within which the SHR will regulate social landlords' performance. It will give tenants a clear understanding of what they should be able to expect from their landlords, and give landlords clarity and certainty about what they should be doing.