Together with Tenants

Posted: 15/12/2020

The revised Together with Tenants plan and charter was published in July 2019, with over 100 housing providers becoming early adopters. Since then, these organisations have been testing out the charter, implementing the requirements and adapting them to fit the needs of their tenants and communities. A “lessons learned” report (the report) published on 20 October 2020, called for all housing associations to consider adopting the Together with Tenants charter.

The Together with Tenants charter was borne out of the findings of the 2018 Social Housing Green Paper (SHGP). The SHGP was clear in its expectation that the relationship between landlords and tenants be “rebalanced” to ensure that residents’ voices are heard. The report emphasises that it is up to housing associations to define their relationship with tenants and to embed a culture across the sector that “values the voice and experience of residents”.

The four points in the Together with Tenants plan are as follows:

• A new requirement in the National Housing Federation Code of Governance for boards to be accountable to their residents. The report refers to the NHF Code of Governance 2020 and notes that the new Code, released last month, strengthens the provisions on resident focus and accountability that place the views and needs of residents at the heart of strategic decision-making. The report confirms that the guidance published to accompany the Code suggests that, while not mandatory, signing up to the Together with Tenants charter will be the most expedient way to demonstrate the commitment of landlords to meeting the requirements of the NHF Code.
• A new Together with Tenants charter. The charter sets out six outcomes-focussed commitments and intends to ensure a “more consistent experience for residents, while being flexible enough for residents and housing associations to agree more specific standards and targets on the issues that are important to them.”
• Resident oversight and reporting of progress against the charter. This allows residents to hold landlords to account requiring the board to respond where necessary and aims to prevent the charter from becoming a “tick box” exercise.
• Giving residents a stronger collective voice with the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH). The reporting requirements within the NHF Code of Governance may increase visibility for the RSH over any potential issues with meeting the consumer standards and ensure action is taken quickly to protect the rights and interests of tenants. This also links to proposed changes under the Social Housing White Paper, which we discuss later in this article.

There were over 125 early adopters of the plan and charter that agreed to test the scheme and share learning experiences over the six-month testing period (August 2019 – March 2020). It is acknowledged within the report that there have been some barriers to involvement, including the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the “lessons learned” largely refer to a pre-pandemic time, although are still relevant for sector reflection.

The report notes that, while the long-term impact is yet to be firmly established, the charter has “led to clearer, more collaborative decision-making for most early adopters” with many revisiting and reworking strategies and policies to reflect charter commitments to tenants. The original aim of the charter was to make it flexible enough to allow organisations to adapt it to meet their needs and reflect what their residents expect to see. Many organisations found that being open to challenges and suggestions for performance reporting in addition to having a genuine approach to engagement resulted in increased involvement of tenants.

The report acknowledges that the main barriers to “meaningful interaction” alongside the current pandemic include issues such as digital inclusion, diverse representation, and geographical and transport challenges. In relation to diversity and inclusive practice, early adopters shared practical tips and advice including that organisations should consider whether the organisation’s workforce reflects the community that it works within and whether recruitment, retention and growth practices are inclusive and diverse.

Next steps include the sector-wide rollout where all housing associations are asked to adopt the charter, with registration being the first step. The recently released Social Housing White Paper (the White Paper) contains the Charter for Social Housing Residents which sets out seven commitments which reaffirm commitments made by many providers in the Together with Tenants charter, particularly in relation to accountability, complaints handling and strengthening the tenant voice. The White Paper also specifically acknowledges the positive changes made by the sector in response to the SHGP and welcomed Together with Tenants as an initiative to support sector-wide culture change.

It is intended that a framework of networks will be put in place to assist organisations and their residents to share experiences and best practice. In particular, resident oversight arrangements will be considered closely to ensure that they provide meaningful feedback on their compliance with the charter obligations. Organisations should also continue to seek opportunities where residents are able to give feedback on charter commitments.

It will be interesting to see the overall take up of the charter alongside, particularly alongside the new NHF Code of Governance 2020 and the proposals set out in the White Paper, including for landlords to publish results against tenants’ satisfaction measures relating to, amongst other things, respectful and helpful engagement. 

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