A strong tenant voice matters. This was the Scottish Housing Regulator’s message to a national tenant conference.
George Walker, SHR Chair, and Helen Trouten Torres, Board Member, were speaking at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service Scotland conference in St. Andrews.
George told delegates: “A strong tenant voice is essential for the success of social housing. Without it, social landlords cannot truly thrive and provide customer-focused services.
“Models of tenant involvement have evolved a lot over the last decade, which I welcome. But the one constant is the influence you wield: to work with your landlords, help shape their services, and to hold them to account. We expect landlords to be working with tenants to ensure this happens.”
George discussed rent affordability, highlighting concerns about future affordability and discussing recent trends in rent increases. He told delegates that the level of rent increases will feature prominently in SHR’s regulatory assessment of landlords.
Notes to editors
1. The Scottish Housing Regulator was established on 1 April 2011 under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010. Its objective is to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants and others who use local authority and RSL housing services. The Regulator operates independently of Scottish Ministers and is accountable directly to the Scottish Parliament. It assumed its full regulatory responsibilities on 1 April 2012. The Regulator consists of the Chair and eight Board members. More information about the Regulator can be found on its website at www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk
2. SHR sets out how it regulates social landlords in its published framework – Regulation of Social Housing in Scotland.
3. The Regulator recently published a report on the findings of its research with its National Panel of Tenants and Service Users https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/about-us/news/pressure-on-affordability-continues-as-landlords-raise-rents-above-inflation-regulator-finds
4. The Regulator’s Chief Executive, Michael Cameron’s recent blog post also highlighted the importance of affordable rents. https://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/about-us/news/why-landlords-should-think-carefully-before-hiking-rents-a-blog-by-michael-cameron