Tenant Participation and Social Housing in the UK: Applying a Theoretical Model

Abstract

Tenant participation is becoming an almost ubiquitous feature of the planning and provision of social housing. A range of opportunities has been (and is being) created by and for tenants to participate in the planning, provision and evaluation of housing services. Yet while local authorities and other social landlords may be keen to consult tenants, and tenants themselves often want to make their voices heard, there is a perennial problem in actually getting people involved. This paper provides a comprehensive framework for understanding this important question. It then reports on recent research that applies the framework in two different contexts: tenants' associations and tenant management organisations. The implications for housing policy and practice are discussed.

Collective actions for the management of multi-owned residential building: A case of Hong Kong

“…Yet another stream explored how individual owners make participatory decisions when they are called upon to act collectively (e.g. Conway & Hachen, 2005;McKee, 2008;Ohmer, 2007;Simmons & Birchall, 2007;Yau, 2010aYau, , 2010bYau, , 2011aYau, , 2011bYau, , 2012. This stream attempted to disclose the mechanism of individuals' decisionmaking process, which its researchers believed could jointly shape the outcome of the actions.…”

The ‘Responsible’ Tenant and the Problem of Apathy

“…A label which captures a range of different structures, processes and forms, tenant participation refers to the involvement of tenants in the housing services provided by their landlord (Hickman, 2006) 1 . It has been translated into a number of distinct initiatives including Best Value, Tenant Participation Compacts, and in Scotland, the statutory right to tenant participation for social housing tenants (Scott, 2004;Milnward, 2005;Hickman, 2006;Simmons and Birchall, 2007). Across Great Britain this emphasis on tenants as service users is further evident in attempts to modernise social housing by transforming its funding, organisation and management -a goal that is to be achieved through housing stock transfer (Scottish Office, 1999;DETR, 2000;Welsh Assembly Government, 2003).…”

Collective action in apartment building management in Hong Kong

“…Some pointed out that the involvement of a PMC is the key to coordinating collective actions (Christudason, 2008a;Hui, 2005;Yip, Chang, & Hung, 2007;Yiu, Wong, & Yau, 2006); others recommended social sanctions and norms to facilitate action (Bengtsson, 1998(Bengtsson, , 2001McKee, 2008;Yau, 2010c). Some empirically showed the number of users as a determinant of a group's collective action prospects (Hung & Chang, 2002;Lai & Chan, 2004;Yip et al, 2007); others indicated that individual participation is of paramount importance to the success of a collective action (Simmons & Birchall, 2007;Yau, 2010aYau, , 2011aYau, , 2011b. On one hand, the diverse results showed the research approach to the problems from different perspectives.…”