5 things tenants are saying right now about Tenant Voice

TPAS Cymru Conference – Nov 2024

 

The following reflects tenant voices who gave their views at TPAS Cymru conference. We felt that their frustrations needed to be shared.

1. Sheltered Scheme allocation issue

This issue came up repeatedly. Whether you call them Sheltered Schemes, Independent/Community Living etc.They were traditionally homes for tenants - usually of a retirement age -  within a block with some communal facilities and activities.It was a safe place for an older population.

In recent years htings have changed, now, when vacancies arise, people are being moved in who are often wholly unsuitable for this type of communal living. People with chaotic lifestyles, substance misuse and ASB.

Tenants at the conference were repeatedly saying it's creating so many problems.There was real, tangible anger at the system.
The Housing Associations have no wardens left to deal with it, the RSLs blame the local council, as the Local Authority are in charge of the allocations list and priority. The Council are under massive pressure to reduce homelessness and reduce B&B costs, and need to find beds.There is a feeling that if they see a vacancy in a sheltered scheme and they have someone over 55, they are using it (even if the person may not be the right fit for a quiet, older living scheme).

Be under no illusion, there is real anger about this amongst tenants.  Anger at this approach, anger at policy decision makers who allow this to happen.They were sold a quiet retirement. They do not feel consulted or engaged and feel powerless and betrayed.

2.  Board Member Payments

This was sold as essential to get the best quality of Governance in Housing Associations.‘Pay people and we get better Board members, more diversity etc ’ 

We first need to put aside the huge insult to the thousands of quality board members across Wales who gave their time and expertise for free for the benefit of society, or the implication that we can’t get diversity unless you pay people. Both assumptions are wrong.

So we got more accountants, more lawyers and more retired construction professionals but in the process we lost good, experienced, trained tenants who were committed to tenant voice in the board room.

I talked to 3 very experienced tenants at conference, who felt forced to leave their Board when payments were introduced. Put simply, it would make them worse off re tax, benefits or access to services. This is not just impactong on someone’s Universal Credit, in one case it would have resulted in removing free access to essential complex NHS dentistry needed.

I also spoke to 4 other brilliant tenants who said they could not put themselves forward for a RSL Board because of complexities of benefits, tax thresholds etc

Tenants are unable to decline payment and do it for free - in the eyes of Universal Credit, HMRC etc you are essentially declining money.
More paid professionals around a table doesn’t mean better decision making – Grenfell, Pension scheme scandals, tainted blood scandal etc all prove this.

3. Housing Association self-regulation. 

If you are not familiar, Welsh Gov’s Regulation Team have a set of standards. Landlords submit a self-assessment, and a member of staff from the regulatory team will do checks.  

Tenants said to us that when they have got hold of their landlord’s self-assessment, they didn’t always recognise what the landlord was claiming.That obviously doesn’t apply to all landlords, but it's was an issue that was raised by many.Are Regulators spending too long looking at balance sheets and Board minutes? Are they challenging the landlord on key tenant engagement measures?

There is good practice out there involving tenants in scrutinising landlord submissions.

4. Who is paying for Welsh Housing Quality Standard and Decarbonisation?

WHQS were developed over many years, it's now been live for over a year. We know the cost is big, but so are the benefits. Tenants asked over multiple workshops ‘how is it going to be paid for? ’They feel there is a 'wall of silence' at the moment from landlords and Government.Tenants are worried about inflation-busting rent rises.They want to be part of the conversation.

5. New build allocations

Existing tenants resent not being able to bid for the new energy efficient homes that the sector loves showing off.

This comes from 2 angles:

• Tenants who have been loyal, paying above inflation rent rises year on year for, say 20 years, put up with all the upheavals, damp and mould etc.  Some tenants want the option to apply for one of the new properties that they helped pay for via their rent. They want the straight walls, downstairs toilet and lower energy bills, etc.   ‘Let those on the housing list back fill the older properties’.   There is resentment in their perception of people ‘jumping the queue’ into modern, low bill, damp free properties and that ‘being loyal and well behaved means nothing’.
• Empty nests.  This example from conference sums it up:  A retired lady still living in a 3 bed substantial property where she  raised a large family.  She was paying bedroom tax until recently (stops at a state pension age).  She now wants a smaller property that is more suitable for her needs.  She enquired about a new, modest flat in a former school conversion that her landlord was developing - perfect location, small development, 1 bed etc; hoewever she was told ‘No… priority is for those on the housing register’   so she remains rattling around her large 3 bedroom house.   

We recently saw Cardiff Council put aside 20% of a new Supported Living Scheme for existing older tenants, who were in larger properties and looking to downsize. It freed up some much sought-after larger properties in the city, whilst enabling older tenants to move to something more suitable and enabled families in small property who were overcrowded to move up. This common-sense approach is doesn’t seem to be common or encouraged.

In summary: 

I know this is not easy reading for some.   The fact is that these are not isolated voices.  There are strong feelings on these subjects – particularly the first and last point (older person accommodation and new build allocation)

There is a sense of injustice amongst some older traditional tenants. We desperately need to solve big society challenges like homelessness and getting people off the waiting lists and into homes. BUT if we don’t bring wider society with us, there will be backlash for politicians, boards and policy makers. Despair creates space for hopelessness and resentment.   This is where political opportunists promise to make thing good again, they promise hope without any detail. 
We have good people in social housing sector. We need to be that hope.

If you have any views on this, I would love to hear from you

David Wilton,  Chief Executive, TPAS Cymru

[email protected]