By Toria Buzza, Head of Community and Tenant Involvement  

Back in 2023, we launched our first Together with Tenants Charter, developed alongside tenants to set out the commitments that mattered most to our customers and communities.  

Over the last three years, we’ve made progress in a number of areas, including: 

• Making it easier for us to understand and respond to individual communication needs through our approach to reasonable adjustments. 

• Launching our newsletter to keep you updated on the issues, improvements and opportunities that matter most to you. 

• Improving our complaints process by investing in more colleagues and strengthening communication, helping us respond more fairly and consistently. 

• Supporting projects that have improved local neighbourhoods and community spaces, including the Clifton Clean and Green project and improvements to play parks in St Martin’s and Stockbridge Village. 

• Continuing to improve our Repairs and Maintenance service, working alongside tenants to review performance and identify opportunities for improvement. 

• Working closely with the Police to help tackle cuckooing and keep people safe in our communities. 

As we approached the end of that first Charter, we wanted to take a step back and ask an important question:

Before updating the Charter, we wanted to hear directly from you. 

Over the last few months, we’ve spoken to tenants in lots of different ways. We reviewed feedback from surveys, complaints, involvement activities and community engagement. We visited neighbourhoods, attended local events and spoke to people in the places they already spend time. We also launched a survey asking what you’d like to see from the next version of the Charter, with 586 tenants taking the time to share their views.  

I always enjoy these conversations because they remind us that every community is different. But despite that, some clear themes came through time and time again.

• You want clearer communication and to understand how your feedback influences decisions. 

• You care about your neighbourhood and community and want to see continued investment in the places you live. 

• You want clean, well-maintained environments and action where improvements are needed. 

• You want a reliable repairs service, better communication and confidence that issues will be resolved.  

We’ve used what you’ve told us to review and update our Together with Tenants Charter, making sure our commitments continue to reflect what matters most to tenants today. It sets out how we’ll respond to what you’ve told us, building on what’s working well and focusing on the areas where you’d like to see improvement.  

One of the things I’m most proud of is that tenants have been involved throughout this process. This included our Customer Committee, which brings together tenants and Board members, who helped review the findings and shape the final Charter. Their role is to make sure tenants’ voices are heard and to help hold us accountable for delivering on the commitments we make to you.

For me, that’s what Together with Tenants is all about. 

It’s about making sure tenants have a genuine opportunity to influence the things that affect their homes, services and communities. It’s about listening when people tell us what’s important, learning from what we hear and taking action where we can make a difference. 

I’d like to personally thank everyone who took the time to get involved. Whether you completed a survey, attended an engagement event, shared feedback, raised a complaint, welcomed us into your community group or took part in a customer involvement activity, you’ve helped shape the commitments in this Charter.  

The refreshed Charter reflects what you’ve told us matters most today, but the conversation doesn’t stop here. 

We’ll continue listening, working alongside tenants and sharing how we’re making progress. Thank you to everyone who helped shape this Charter. Your feedback has influenced the commitments we’ve made today and will continue to shape what comes next. 

Read the updated Together with Tenants Charter here: ForHousing’s together with tenants charter