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Victoria DingleVictoria is a fully involved resident living in Henley, a member of the Women’s Housing Forum, a regular Inside Housing columnist and ...more
Housing associations must turn their Together with Tenants commitments into action
Every association should sign up to the National Housing Federation’s draft plan and make sure change happens as a result, argues Soha Housing tenant Victoria Dingle
A new draft plan drawn up by the National Housing Federation (NHF) is aiming to create a stronger, more balanced relationship between tenants and their landlords.
As a tenant of Soha Housing, I welcome this plan and feel that all housing associations need to sign up.
My housing association is very committed to working with and involving tenants but I have learned that this is not always the case.
Tragically, it took the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower to highlight massive differences across the country in how people feel about living in social housing and their relationship with their social housing landlord.
“There are still huge differences between housing associations, with some trying harder than others”
The aim of a housing association is to provide a safe, affordable and decent home while working to build a positive relationship with the residents and tenants living in its properties. I feel like I’m one of the lucky ones.
As a tenant, I am listened to and can be involved in shaping my housing association to offer the service that I think all residents should have.
However, I have attended conferences and events across the country and heard that this is not always the case.
Sadly, it seems there are still huge differences between housing associations, with some trying harder than others to achieve this aim.
More needs to be done to make sure all housing associations work together with tenants and residents.
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I absolutely agree that housing association boards need to be properly connected to the people they house. This was one of the reasons I applied and became a board member for Soha.
If you want to take action, you need to get involved and have your voice heard, especially on decisions about the community you live in. Every tenant and resident needs to have their views heard in this way.
“Tenants and residents need to see these commitments put into housing association action plans so these words result in real changes”
The commitments of the draft plan are exactly what is needed. However, great commitments are only words until they are actioned.
Tenants and residents need to see these put into housing association action plans so these words result in real changes in the way services are provided.
Soha has recently given power to residents by allowing tenants, leaseholders and shared ownership residents to become shareholding members.
As Soha is a mutual housing association, the board is accountable to Soha members, who are the shareholders of Soha. This means that the biggest decisions about the company’s future can now be made by those who are affected the most – the tenants and residents.
It offers further ways for residents to influence and make decisions about what Soha does. I believe the Together with Tenants charter is just the tip of the iceberg.
A lot more needs to be done.
“I would like to see every housing association sign up without any excuses”
Currently, some housing associations have successful relationships with their tenants and residents, but this should be the norm, not just for a select few.
My housing association has signed up to be an adopter but I would like to see every housing association sign up without any excuses.
Tenants and residents can feed back their views on the Together with Tenants draft plan via the online questionnaire or directly to the NHF.
This plan is only a draft. Everyone has a voice. This is the time to step up and ensure that yours is heard, especially as a tenant.
Victoria Dingle, tenant non-executive director, Soha Housing
At a glance: the NHF’s Together with Tenants plan
Together with Tenants is a draft plan drawn up by the National Housing Federation (NHF) with the “aim of creating a stronger, more balanced relationship with tenants and residents”. As of 13 March, 86 associations had signed up to it.
The NHF says a stronger relationship is needed after questions were raised following the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017.
The aim of the plan is to introduce new expectations at board level; set clear commitments for tenants and residents; and give tenants and residents a louder voice, a stronger rule in scrutiny and more influence locally and nationally. It also aims to “provide a clear link to regulation”.
The plan proposes four actions:
- A new requirement in the NHF’s code of governance for boards to be accountable to their tenants and residents
- A new Together with Tenants charter setting out what tenants and residents can expect from their housing association landlord
- Tenant and resident oversight and scrutiny of the charter, with a report on how their landlord is doing against the charter commitments
- A closer link with regulation
The housing associations signed up to Together with Tenants
As of 13 March, 86 housing associations had already volunteered to be early adopters of the Together with Tenants plan. They are:
- Accent Group
- Accord
- Alpha Living
- Anchor Hanover
- Arawak Walton
- Arhag
- Aspire Housing
- Beyond Housing
- Black Country Housing Group
- Bolton at Home
- Broadacres
- Broadland Housing Association
- Byker Community Trust
- Calico Homes
- Clarion
- Coastline
- Colne
- Community Gateway Association Preston
- Connexus
- Cotman Housing Association
- County Durham Housing Group
- Derwent Living
- EMH Group
- English Rural
- Estuary Housing
- Gateway Housing
- Gentoo
- Gloucester City Homes
- Great Places Housing Group
- Greenfields Community Housing
- Hastoe
- Home Group
- Incommunities
- Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association
- Johnnie Johnson Housing
- Lincolnshire Housing Partnership
- LiveWest
- Livin
- Living+
- Luminus Group
- L&Q
- Manningham Housing
- Metropolitan Thames Valley
- Mosscare St Vincent's Housing
- Network Homes
- North Star
- Ocean Housing Group
- One Housing Group
- Ongo
- Onward
- Optivo
- Orbit
- Origin Housing
- Peter Bedford Housing Association
- Phoenix Community Housing
- Places for People
- Plymouth Community Homes
- Radcliffe Housing Association
- Radian
- Raven Housing Trust
- Riverside
- Rochdale Boroughwide Housing
- Rooftop
- Rosebery Housing Association
- Settle
- SHAL Housing
- Shepherd's Bush Housing Group
- Soha Housing
- South Lakes Housing
- South Western Housing Society
- South Yorkshire Housing Association
- Sovereign
- Stonewater
- Suffolk Housing
- The Community Housing Group
- The Pioneer Group
- The Wrekin Housing Trust
- Together Housing Group
- Torus Group
- Trent and Dove
- Wakefield and District Housing
- WATMOS
- Women's Pioneer Housing
- Wythenshawe Community Housing Group
- Yarlington
- Yorkshire Housing
