Rebuilding trust between tenants and associations

There is a longstanding crisis of trust across all sectors and industries.

In the private sector, the CBI is investing in a major campaign to address growing public distrust of business.

In the charitable sector, the Civil Society Futures Inquiry, led by Julia Unwin, recently reported on the deficit of power, trust and accountability facing the voluntary sector.

The tragic fire at Grenfell Tower exposed feelings of powerlessness, distrust and disconnection that demand a response from all parts of society.

That is why the federation’s board took the decision in October 2017 to launch a conversation with members and tenants about how we as a sector could play our part, and how we can build trust and a stronger relationship between housing associations and our tenants.

One word came up time and again in our conversations – ‘culture’. We heard that the best way to build trust is to invest in an organisational culture that listens, is accountable, respectful and responsive. That is the sort of culture our Together with Tenants proposals are designed to support.

The actions set out in our plan introduce new expectations at board level, set out clear commitments for tenants and residents, and give tenants and residents a louder voice, a stronger role in scrutiny, more influence locally and nationally, and provide a clear link to regulation (see four-point plan below).

The plan builds on what works and is grounded in the best practice that exists right across our sector.

At our annual summit in September, the prime minister urged housing associations to be the best, most accountable landlords possible. I believe that our Together with Tenants proposals clearly demonstrate our collective commitment to this agenda. I am delighted that the secretary of state has welcomed our proposals.

And we will continue to work closely with government, through the Social Housing Green Paper, to deliver a joined-up, coherent package that delivers for tenants.

We know that if this approach is going to work, we need to design it with tenants and residents.

That’s why we’ve been working closely with tenants throughout this process, and will gather their views on our draft plan through consultation events and our online questionnaire.

We’re also delighted that 43 housing associations have volunteered as early adopters of the plans (see below) and we are sure more will join.

“We know that if this approach is going to work, we need to design it with tenants and residents”

They will help to test the model and will share valuable learning to support wider roll-out over the course of the year.

By investing in a culture of accountability and respect, housing associations can provide an example to other sectors and institutions grappling with the challenge of trust.

This means opening ourselves up to more scrutiny to those who are best placed to judge – our tenants. And only by doing this, which is not always comfortable or easy but which is the right thing to do, will we be able to move forward as a sector and achieve our ambition.

Kate Henderson, chief executive, National Housing Federation