News story

9 June 2009

Your chance to have your say about standards in social housing

The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) is the new regulator for homes owned by housing associations and co-ops. The first thing the TSA needs to do is draw up a brand new set of standards for all social landlords.

The Tenant Services Authority is listening to tenants across England to help them understand what you want to see in the new standards. It is calling this the National Conversation, and it started on 19 January 2009.

The second phase of the Tenant Services Authority's National Conversation began on 9 June and will run until 8 September 2009. This is your chance to help the TSA fine-tune the standards it has drawn up for social housing landlords. These draft standards are based on what you told the TSA earlier this year about the things that matter most to you.

There are many ways you can take part. The TSA will be at a number of events this summer, where they will be talking to tenants and landlords. Details of where they will be and when – and how you can join them – are available online at: www.nationalconversation.co.uk

You can also get involved in the National Conversation using the website. You’ll find a short questionnaire you can fill in, or you can have your say on one of the forums or by uploading a video of yourself. You can also take part by texting short answers to questions on the website.

There’s a document with more questions that you can download too, if you want to.
You can hold your own local events as well. The TSA has called these 'Local Conversations'. They don't have to be very formal – they could be a group of you getting together in somebody's home or they could be part of another meeting that's already been planned. To help you, the TSA has put together a resource pack you can download, which contains some important questions, information notes, a leaflet, a form to fill in and a prepaid envelope to send the form back in (you do not need a stamp).

For more information, please read the TSA National Conversation leaflet (88 KB/ PDF) , or visit the National Conversation website www.nationalconversation.co.uk or the Tenant Services Authority website www.tenantservicesauthority.org