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Tenant panels & annual reports Nic Bliss TAROE CONFERENCE 23 rd February 2011. 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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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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 [email protected]