A tenants and leaseholders organisation is where a group of tenants and/or leaseholders in an area, estate or block get together because they want to raise issues that affect them and improve their homes and estates.

To be recognised by Arun Housing Services you will have to achieve certain things like having a constitution, operating as an association for a period of time and showing how you are making sure that your committee is fairly representing your members views. None of this is difficult. Remember, we will give you practical help and advice.

 

Interested in getting involved?

If you are interested in getting involved please contact Elaine Gray, Senior Tenant Participation Officer on 01903 737823 or e-mail elaine.gray@arun.gov.uk

To show our commitment to you we have developed an Arun-wide Tenants Participation Agreement.pdf [pdf] 167KB signed an elected member the Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Care and the Chairperson of the Arun Tenants and Leaseholders Organisation

There are many ways to get involved.  We know that residents want different levels of involvement. Some just want the opportunity to talk in more detail about specific local issues with the council officer responsible for that service. Others want more than this and want a greater level of involvement that help shape the future direction and level of services. To make sure that every tenant and leaseholder has a chance to get involved at a level which suits them, we have developed a range of different approaches.

One of the most effective ways of getting involved is to join the existing Arun Tenants and Leaseholders Organisation, or form your own organisation.

 

Arun Tenants & Leaseholders Organisation (ATLO)

The organisation is made up of tenants and leaseholders who have volunteered to get together to raise issues that affect them and improve their homes and estates. Tenants and leaseholders are encouraged to express their opinions and ATLO is one of the key ways the Housing Service consults its customers. It has a set of rules that govern what is does call a Constitution. As part of the continued partnership between tenants, leaseholders and the Council in 2009 we worked together to modernise the Constitution. 

The group holds regular meetings and you are very welcome to attend. There are many benefits of working together and being part of a tenants and leaseholders organisation. If you would like to join the ATLO or make contact with the leading members of the ATLO they can tell you more.

Minutes and agendas of ATLO meetings

2018 Agendas
ATLO Meeting Agenda Jan 18.docx [docx] 22KB
ATLO Meeting Agenda April 18.docx [docx] 22KB
ATLO Meeting Agenda May 18.docx [docx] 22KB
ATLO Meeting Agenda Sept 18.docx [docx] 22KB
ATLO Meeting Agenda Oct 18.docx [docx] 145KB
ATLO Meeting Agenda Dec 18.docx [docx] 145KB 

2018 Minutes
ATLO Meeting Jan 18 Minutes.docx [docx] 22KB
ATLO Meeting April 2018 Minutes.docx [docx] 21KB
ATLO Meeting May 2018 Minutes.docx [docx] 20KB
ATLO Meeting Minutes 4 September 2018.docx [docx] 23KB
ATLO Meeting Minutes 5 Oct 2018 Minutes.docx [docx] 23KB

2017 Agendas
Agenda ATLO Feb 2017.docx [docx] 22KB
Agenda ATLO April 2017.docx [docx] 21KB
Agenda ATLO May 2017.docx [docx] 22KB

2017 Minutes
Minutes ATLO Feb 8 2017.docx [docx] 18KB
Minutes ATLO April 2017.docx [docx] 20KB

 

The world is constantly changing and so are the needs of our tenants and leaseholders.  We regularly ask tenants and leaseholders about proposed changes being made to the service we provide or our plans for repair work to your home.  We sometimes hold focus groups to explore specific issues. An exciting piece of work developed with tenants was a set of Local Standards. 

There are five national standard set out by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) that local authority Housing provides have to meet.  You can read about these Regulatory Standards at the HCA web site. In addition the national standards each Housing provider has develop local standards. During 2010 we consulted with Arun tenants and held a number of focus groups to develop our local offer. Each year we produce an annual report describing how we performed against our local offer and what we plan to do in the coming year. Here is our latest annual report Housing Local Offer Annual Report.pdf [pdf] 212KB.

Some groups of tenants and leaseholders want the chance to talk to Arun Housing Services about issues in their block or estate but do not want to become a formal association. The Neighbourhood Housing Officer for your area will attend meetings of groups of residents concerned about certain local issues and provide as positive a response as possible. In this case the tenants and leaseholders attending such meetings will be acting as individuals rather than in any representative capacity. Many associations actually start like this.

 

Benefits of a Tenants and Leaseholders Organisation

Tenants and Leaseholders can ......

• be in a stronger position as a representative group than as individuals
• share views on the area they live in and any problems
• contribute to making improvements or finding solutions to problems
• gain a better understanding of how the Council and Housing Services work.
• help pass knowledge  and information to other customers
• have the opportunity to discuss issues with local Councillors, Council Officers and others, including the Police
• have access to up-to-date information
• through membership of the ATLO, have an opportunity to elect representatives to the various groups and committees responsible for housing issues
• by listening to others in the community, help support each other, resulting in improved community relations
• develop new skills and knowledge,
• take advantage of free training
• help improve landlord and tenant relations through better feedback
• improve the quality of services and decision making for the benefits of tenants

If you want to you can set up a new tenants and or leaseholders organisation for your area.  At an early stage you may want to create a small committee to help run things. The Council will ensure that tenants and leaseholders are given the support they need to maintain existing organisations and set up new organisations or arrangements. We can also provide.

• Advice, including independent advice, community development support, support for local tenant and leaseholder networks
• Facilities e.g., access to premises and equipment, stationary, photocopying, help in distributing newsletters
• Training to meet the needs of tenants and leaseholders groups, including possible joint training with Council staff and members,
• Where appropriate. Training will also cover equal opportunity issues including racial and sexual harassment.
• Innovative approaches to encourage new tenants and leaseholders to get involved, so that structures remain representative and sustainable.

The Council will also provide tenants and leaseholders with full information on:

• Which Council officers are responsible for delivering specific goals and services
• What resources are available to support training and capacity-building amongst tenants and leaseholders groups, and to sustain established tenant and leaseholder participation structures; and
• Anything else tenants and leaseholders ask for, so long as it is available and its disclosure does not breach confidentiality
• What resources, including staff time, are available to implement it’s policies for tenant and leaseholder involvement

Meetings are only one way in which tenants, leaseholders and the Council can interact with each other in the decision making process.

To be effective meetings should have:

• Clear objectives and a mandate
• A clear action plan to deal with matters arising
• Arrangements for reporting back the outcome, including feedback, to those who took part
• Publicised in advance and effectively
• arranged at suitable times and in accessible places, to maximise attendance
• Properly chaired, and conducted in a fair and democratic way so that everyone gets a chance to have their say and is kept informed