This year, we made a commitment in line with the Together with Tenants Charter to involve our residents in decisions that matter to them. This way of working fits with our organisational values and represents the kind of landlord we want to be, not just this year, but always.
To do this, we are changing the way we think and the way we work and are working hard to consistently improve.
So far since April, our primary focus has been to involve tenants in the setting of annual service charges. As part of this, we have set up virtual meetings by estate to discuss what kinds of estate services residents want to add, eliminate, increase or reduce. We are using this information to price options and help residents have more control over the services available on their estates and the cost associated with those services. If you did not have a chance to participate in the online meetings, it’s not too late to share your thoughts! You can email our team or phone your housing officer to share your priorities. This process will be continuing until the end of the year so you still have plenty of time to get involved. The new service charges will come into effect in April 2022.
Other ways we are focussing on residents have been smaller, but we hope are still impactful to the residents affected. They include:
- Ensuring residents on leasehold estates where we are planning to carry out cyclical works get to decide what is included in the programme of works. This consultation is more in depth and meaningful than the Section 20 consultation that is a statutory requirement for homeowners, and
- Giving residents who contact us about required repairs a choice – whenever possible – about things like the colour of replacement tiles or type of replacement taps installed.
We are also still looking for CDS residents who are interested in joining a virtual panel of other tenants and homeowners to help us review our performance and the quality of our services. Learn more about our Together with Tenants panel and volunteer to get involved.
If you have ideas about other ways you would like to see us involve residents in our decision-making, please email us or speak to your housing officer.
