Social housing is a concept which is undergoing fundamental change. Tenants and the residents have formed the centre of a debate on community involvement in service provision, patterns of ownership, regeneration and organisational structures. Tenant’s participation has various benefits which range from the empowerment of individuals to highly improved service delivery through stabilisation and revitalisation of communities. As such involving the residents in the decision-making process is very important to the improvement of the quality of life and the quality of services on the estate.
Involving tenants in the decision making process is a management approach which helps not only the tenants dignity but also allows them to take pride in their residence, resulting reduction in housing costs. We identified that the involvement of tenants leads to increased tenant satisfaction and more interest in their development. We suggested that tenants are more likely to take better care of their rental units as well as common spaces resulting in less wear and tear and less vandalism. Greater involvement for tenants also leads to the management making more informed decisions with regards to expenditures. On the other hand, high tenant satisfaction leads to a more stable tenant population, lower empty houses, lower operating expenses and increased attractiveness of the property.
The input of the tenants can be achieved through the use of various strategies. These include regular management meeting with tenants, the development of Tenants Association which are also referred to as Tenant Councils, representation of tenants in the management committees as well as tenant self-management. The tenants need to have their input as they have the final responsibility for the management of the estate. We found that joint participation can lower operating costs, creating a harmonious relationship between the housing management team and the tenants in private and public sector housing.
There is however a need to develop an appropriate tenants participation strategy which will be the basis for turning the goals into reality. A tenant participation strategy is a means to an end and leads to better decision making as well as more responsive quality housing. Hence, this strategy should focus on the major objectives of the Housing Association whereby problems should be defined, solutions proposed and attention given to the establishment of the methodology of turning a problem into a solution.
The strategy allows the landlords and the tenants time to have a reflection on their current situation, to where they would want to be and a plan on how to get there. The strategy should also include criteria for reviewing and evaluating whether the objectives set have been achieved, for example, weekly rent collection target, reduction in complaint associated with noise and Anti Social Behaviour. It is an opportunity for both the Housing Association and tenants to involve in the development of an innovative solution. In this process, all participants especially the tenants should be given the opportunity to question existing structures and strategies, device new approaches to solutions and gathering information on the current practices. Further, the elected members should be involved in the initiation, development and evaluation within the process of the strategic plan. It is important to set aside the resources which will be required to allow tenant participation. The resources needed include overtime for meetings, survey costs, publicity costs, meeting spaces, travel allowance among others. Allowing the participation of all the tenants rather than just the elected members is instrumental to ensure all tenants buy into the new housing management strategy. For example, a starting point for tenant participation is a review of the current practices whereby everyone is given the opportunity to voice their concerns with regards to any of the current practices to ensure tenants feel involved and appreciated.
Delivering quality services to tenants is very important for the Housing Association. Informing the tenants on how to participate and get involved in estate management is the best strategy to ensure the quality of service. On the other hand, involvement of the tenants allows them to challenge, influence and control how the housing services are delivered. If there is a problem, the tenants can easily report this to management and a solution can be developed with them. This ensures that the quality of life of the tenants is improved and that the landlords are able to operate efficiently and effectively.
It is important to develop a platform where the tenants and Housing Association is able to communicate and participate in decision making. This allows an opportunity for the unique insight of all the parties involved to voice their concerns. For this, the Housing Association should recruit ‘Eyes and Ears’ a group of individuals from the tenants who will report any problems, repairs issues and ASB to the appropriate team. Through this, housing practitioners and tenants will be able to work together and provide effective positive change in the communities and improve quality of life within the Housing Association. The members should also be trained on service improvement strategy where they can share knowledge with the Eyes and Ears team. For any service to be administered properly there is a need to fully understand the needs of the customers. We concluded that landlords are given a better and fuller understanding of what is required from them by tenants and this leads to quality housing services. Strong partnerships among all the stakeholders will be formed and this will allow the creation of better communities.
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