Fire doesn’t discriminate, so tenants of all buildings need a voice

But I also have a personal responsibility to share my knowledge with my neighbours, and to ask them in turn to spread the word.

That’s how strong communities should operate, after all.

Now, anyone who has been to our area in south London will know that it’s largely made up of two interwar cottage estates, alongside some later low-rise blocks.

Only two of the blocks we manage are classified as high rise. None of our properties feature over-cladding.

So why would we want to join the government’s new best practice group on fire safety?

“Phoenix is absolutely committed to providing a safe environment for all its residents, so that they can be safe and feel safe in their homes, but we know there will always be more we can do”

First, we saw it as an excellent opportunity to share our ethos at a national level, not only around fire safety but also around resident involvement and engagement more generally.

If you don’t already know about Phoenix, we’re the only resident-led housing association in London. Our rules state that our chair and vice-chair must be tenants, and Phoenix residents form the largest group on our board.

We have more than 3,700 shareholding residents from around 6,300 homes, and we’re committed to ensuring that all of our residents have a voice and the opportunity to influence all of our key services and projects.

It’s a model that has worked well for us for more than a decade now.

We will support – and want to be part of – pretty much anything that gives social housing residents a stronger say in the management of their homes and more control over their lives and futures.

In attending the group, I want to ensure that I am properly representative of Phoenix residents generally and I will be listening to – and sharing – the views of other tenants and leaseholders through focus groups and consultation sessions at key events.

Second, landlords and their stock come in all shapes and sizes. While national attention has naturally focused on high-rise buildings post-Grenfell, fire doesn’t discriminate by property type. We need to ensure that we take every fire safety precaution possible for every type of home and we look forward to sharing our own experiences with the group.

“We must learn the lessons of the recent past, and tenants must never be ignored again”

Third, and most importantly, we saw the group as an opportunity to learn. Phoenix is absolutely committed to providing a safe environment for all its residents, so that they can be safe and feel safe in their homes, but we know there will always be more we can do. We’re looking forward to sharing our knowledge and experiences, and to listening to those of staff and residents at organisations varying from local authorities to very large housing associations.

I’m excited to be part of a national group that could influence the future relationship between landlords and tenants, but it’s so sad that it took the loss of precious human life to prompt proper soul-searching about the balance of power.

We owe it to everyone at Grenfell to seize this moment, to work together to build stronger and more respectful relationships between boards, housing staff and residents, to take every possible measure to ensure there is no repeat of the tragedy.

I’m pleased to be a member of the group – a social housing tenant representing a resident-led housing association. We must learn the lessons of the recent past, and tenants must never be ignored again.

Carmen Simpson, vice-chair and tenant, Phoenix Community Housing