What is Tenant Engagement?
Tenant engagement is about how Sandwell Council, listens, reacts and work together with our tenants, It is about how we evidence tenant involvement at every level across housing whilst constantly seeking out and celebrating positive changes where tenants have had a major role to play.
The Tenant Engagement Team
Sandwell has a dedicated tenant engagement team and transparency, coproduction, influence , empowerment and accountability is what underpins the work of the tenant engagement team. The team understand that the tenants "voice" is important because it ensures tenants feel heard and understood, leading to improvements in housing services and a better overall experience, while ensuring good governance and accountability from the landlord.
Why must we engage with our tenants?
The tenant engagement team have been actively undertaking engagement with our tenants, leaseholders and residents in our neighbourhood before it became a legal right to do so which was highlighted in the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and the Building Safety Act 2022. Tenant Satisfaction Measures and Consumer Regulation will see landlords held to account in new ways. The Regulator for Social Housing (RSH) and the Regulator for building safety (RBS) will ensure that compliance is adhered too. This will drive standards up, whilst in turn further strengthen elements around equality and diversity when it comes to listening to our tenants and learning together.
Why we do what we do
Social Housing landlords must take tenants views into account in their decision-making about how landlord services are delivered and communicate how tenant’s views have been considered. The tenant engagement team will lead on engagement plans and initiatives that identify opportunities to work with partners, tenants, leaseholders and residents to make a difference to the lives of tenants and the communities they live in. The tenant engagement team adopt a coproductive, asset-based community development approach when liaising with our tenants, leaseholders, residents, and members of the public that assist in shaping and influencing service delivery and improvements, whilst also addressing any barriers to engagement. This approach will develop and encourage a strong and robust tenant voice in Sandwell. The tenant engagement team provide support and training for both officers, tenants and relevant stakeholders to share knowledge and information to ensure long lasting postive change takes place and to continually be open to how things can be done differently. See below about ‘consumer regulations.’
Consumer Regulations
Read the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standards