Guidance

Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard - 2017

Published 1 July 2017

Applies to England

Notice

This standard no longer applies.

It was superseded on 1 April 2024 by the ​Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard.

The latest versions of all our standards are available by visiting Regulatory standards for landlords.

Required outcomes

1.1 Customer service, choice and complaints

1.1.1 Registered providers shall:

• a. provide choices, information and communication that is appropriate to the diverse needs of their tenants in the delivery of all standards
• b. have an approach to complaints that is clear, simple and accessible that ensures that complaints are resolved promptly, politely and fairly.

1.2 Involvement and empowerment

1.2.1 Registered providers shall ensure that tenants are given a wide range of opportunities to influence and be involved in:

• a. the formulation of their landlord’s housing-related policies and strategic priorities
• b. the making of decisions about how housing-related services are delivered, including the setting of service standards
• c. the scrutiny of their landlord’s performance and the making of recommendations to their landlord about how performance might be improved
• d. the management of their homes, where applicable
• e. the management of repair and maintenance services, such as commissioning and undertaking a range of repair tasks, as agreed with landlords, and the sharing in savings made, and
• f. agreeing local offers for service delivery.

1.3 Understanding and responding to the diverse needs of tenants

1.3.1 Registered providers shall:

• a. treat all tenants with fairness and respect
• b. demonstrate that they understand the different needs of their tenants, including in relation to the equality strands and tenants with additional support needs.

Specific expectations

2.1 Customer service, choice and complaints

2.1.1 Registered providers shall provide tenants with accessible, relevant and timely information about:

• a. how tenants can access services
• b. the standards of housing services their tenants can expect
• c. how they are performing against those standards
• d. the service choices available to tenants, including any additional costs that are relevant to specific choices
• e. progress of any repairs work
• f. how tenants can communicate with them and provide feedback
• g. the responsibilities of the tenant and provider
• h. arrangements for tenant involvement and scrutiny.

2.1.2 Providers shall offer a range of ways for tenants to express a complaint and set out clear service standards for responding to complaints, including complaints about performance against the standards, and details of what to do if they are unhappy with the outcome of a complaint. Providers shall inform tenants how they use complaints to improve their services. Registered providers shall publish information about complaints each year, including their number and nature, and the outcome of the complaints. Providers shall accept complaints made by advocates authorised to act on a tenant’s/tenants’ behalf.

2.2 Involvement and empowerment

2.2.1 Registered providers shall support their tenants to develop and implement opportunities for involvement and empowerment, including by:

• a. supporting their tenants to exercise their Right to Manage or otherwise exercise housing management functions, where appropriate
• b. supporting the formation and activities of tenant panels or equivalent groups and responding in a constructive and timely manner to them
• c. the provision of timely and relevant performance information to support effective scrutiny by tenants of their landlord’s performance in a form which registered providers seek to agree with their tenants. Such provision must include the publication of an annual report which should include information on repair and maintenance budgets
• d. providing support to tenants to build their capacity to be more effectively involved.

2.2.2 Registered providers shall consult with tenants on the scope of local offers for service delivery. This shall include how performance will be monitored, reported to and scrutinised by tenants and arrangements for reviewing these on a periodic basis.

2.2.3 Where registered providers are proposing a change in landlord for one or more of their tenants or a significant change in their management arrangements, they shall consult with affected tenants in a fair, timely, appropriate and effective manner. Registered providers shall set out the proposals clearly and in an appropriate amount of detail and shall set out any actual or potential advantages and disadvantages (including costs) to tenants in the immediate and longer term. Registered providers must be able to demonstrate to affected tenants how they have taken the outcome of the consultation into account when reaching a decision.

2.2.4 Registered providers shall consult tenants at least once every three years on the best way of involving tenants in the governance and scrutiny of the organisation’s housing management service.

2.3 Understanding and responding to diverse needs

2.3.1 Registered providers shall demonstrate how they respond to tenants’ needs in the way they provide services and communicate with tenants.

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Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent via [email protected] or call 0300 124 5225 or write to:

Regulator of Social Housing
Level 2
7-8 Wellington Place
Leeds LS1 4AP

RSH regulates private registered providers of social housing to promote a viable, efficient and well-governed social housing sector able to deliver homes that meet a range of needs.