Tenant panels & annual reports

Nic BlissTAROE CONFERENCE23rd February 2011

Tenant panels• scrapping the TSA and

removing direct access to the Ombudsmen

• governance/viability & “long stop” regulation in Homes & Communities Agency

• tenants taking complaints to MPs, councillors & tenant panels

Tenant panels• “a stronger role for local

tenants to hold landlords to account for service delivery”

• retaining regulatory framework

• how to enforce it?• doesn’t like anything that

looks like national “regulation”

• NTOs asked to lead

Empowering tenants?• 76% satisfaction ratings for local

authorities & housing associations• 88% satisfaction ratings for housing co-

ops

• only 1 in 2 tenants satisfied with opportunities for involvement

• only 1 in 6 tenants feels that their landlord takes notice of their views

Some basic issues• tenants need to be able to take power to

make change happen• tenants need to be in charge of how they

are empowered• tenants need performance information

about their own and other landlords

Roles for tenant panels• scrutinising landlord performance• dealing with complaints• liaising with MPs & councillors• raising matters with the regulator• “serious service failure” • “serious failures to implement effective

scrutiny”

Basic principles• must be tenants not landlords who set up

panels• reflective of all the tenant constituency• dialogue between tenants and landlords

about resourcing tenant panels• commitment to providing performance

information and comparator information

Level of tenant panels• landlord wide – existing bodies?• borough wide, county wide• smaller neighbourhoods• multi-landlord tenant panels• conflict between multi-nationals and local

panels• tenants should be allowed to do what they

want and what makes sense

Tenant academy?• enabling tenants to come together• local support & training• materials & support information• principles of fairness, equality &

excellence• accreditation

Accreditation• basic level and advanced level

accreditation• basic – understanding responsibilities;

reflective of tenant constituency; not controlled by landlord; acting sensibly

• aimed at skilling and enabling tenants to achieve critical mass without being “national”

• rights for accredited panels

Accreditation rights• formal response (and remedy) from

landlord• right to response from regulator• right to expect response from

Ombudsmen• access to defined information• formal access to Boards of associations

and governing structures in local authorities

Challenges!• resources!!! • developing framework & guidance• setting each panel up & accreditation• promotion• transition arrangements• consultation with tenants

Annual reports to tenants• NTOs asked by TSA to review 1st year

reports• analysing reports and identifying good

practice• aiming to improving annual reports in 2nd

year• an important tool given that tenants are

the new regulators!• “Your homes; your landlord; your reports”• “A good start – but could do better”

Analysis• some good reports; some appalling – but

most generally “adequate”• far too much PR & corporate back

slapping• tenant-led reports were amongst the best• far too little comparisons; weak on

diversity, value for money, governance• very little understanding of “local offers”• not much attempt to excite the reader

Our favourite reports

Good reports

Good reports

Key issues considered• making the report accessible• giving the report to all tenants• doing the report for tenants and not the

TSA• getting across options for involvement• being honest about service standards• comparing them with the best

Key issues considered• involving tenants in value for money• intentions to work with tenants “locally”• tenant management as a “local offer”• equality & diversity – the missing strands• tenants don’t need to worry about

governance and viability – you can take our word for it

The report• published in March - short paper version

& longer more detailed version on websites

• we are asking landlords to print the full report off for tenants…

• but the TSA will print them off for tenants if landlords won’t – plus will do translations

Tenant panels & annual reports

Nic Bliss07947 019287nic@cch.coop