What is Tenant Participation

What is Tenant and Resident Participation?

Tenant & Resident participation means local people having a real say in the decisions that affect their homes & communities. It is increasingly seen as an essential part of housing management by Government, Local Authorities, Housing Associations, Housing Organisations and tenants themselves.

How did Tenant and Resident Participation in Wales develop?

Tenant Participation in Wales developed out of a struggle by tenant organisations to get their voices heard. Today there are over 300 independent tenant groups in Wales working in partnership with their landlords on housing and wider community issues.
You will find tenant groups of all shapes & sizes. Groups in North Wales that bring together 10 families to huge estates of thousands of houses in the cities and valleys of the south. There are groups of council tenants & owner occupiers, housing association groups and groups that combine all three.

Will my landlord support a Tenants and Residents Association?

Most Landlords now encourage their tenants to get involved with them through a range of ways which may include a tenants’ magazine, replying to surveys or attending meetings. The majority of landlords in Wales have a Tenant Participation Officer and it is part of their role to make sure that tenants are involved in the organisation. Landlords will often provide meeting places, help with typing & copying, organise training and increasingly provide annual funding to allow groups to carry out their work independently.

What is a Tenants’ Federation?

Many Local Authorities encourage the various Tenant and Resident Associations to come together in Federations. In Wales there are Federations in Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Pembrokeshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wrexham and the Vale of Glamorgan