TSA and Us
The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) became the new regulator for
social housing on 1st December 2008. Their goal is
to raise the standard of services for tenants.
The TSA say:
‘First and foremost, we’re a champion for
tenants – standing up for your interests and putting your needs
first.
We want landlords to work more closely with you – allowing you, the
very people whose lives are affected by the quality of your
landlord’s services, to have a say in the way your home is
managed.
We expect landlords to be financially strong and well run. But we
want more too. Some housing services are excellent and some aren’t
– so we’re working with tenants and landlords to help providers
improve.
And we’re helping to create more choice for you – in the way your
homes are managed, in what’s offered to you, in the landlords out
there and in the way they raise money.’
To find out more about the TSA’s plans and
values, please visit their website
The National Conversation
Between January and March 2009 the TSA carried
out National Conversation events around England. The events were
aimed at housing association tenants to consult them on what they
think makes a good landlord and what services customers need and
expect. This was done to get customers input from the start, to put
their priorities first.
Some of Friendship’s customers attended the
National Conversation events in Birmingham and Leicester with
others attending a ‘Local Conversation’ event put on by Friendship
and other local housing providers to get their customers
involved.
The Next Phase
A second consultation phase took place in the
Autumn to ask people what they though of the proposed
standard. A 13-week consutlation for stakeholders commenced
in November 2009. The agreed standards will be published in
APril 2010. These standards will be what all Housing
Associations in England will be regulated against.
For more information, please contact the Tenant Services
Authority. Alternatively, you can contact Victoria
Leonard, Customer Relations Manager, on 0121 212 8663 or by email
victoria.leonard@fch.org.uk.