Governance of Social Housing

This course is ideal for active tenants wanting to know more about the external organisations that influence their landlords and to find out how to work with these bodies to make services better and improve tenants’ quality of life and opportunities.  Sometimes tenants face a situation where their landlord is not resolving an issue for them.  After trying all the internal options, they want to look outside to see who else might help them sort out the problem. This course will give you the knowledge and confidence to do this.

• The course will begin with a brief look at the history of social housing and the growing influence of tenants on their landlords
• We will look at what the relevant bodies do and how to get them to help resolve your problems – bodies like the Tenants Services Authority, the Homes and Communities Agency, the Financial Services Authority, the Independent Housing Ombudsman, the Audit Commission, your local authority and your local MP, all of whom have a major influence in how services are provided to tenants
• Each participant will be invited to bring along a problem that they want solved and we will jointly work out the best answers for each person during the afternoon session

The day will be participative and provide plenty of opportunities to discuss options and share practical experiences.  You will gain a clear understanding of all the various options and, for a range of different circumstances, the approach that is likely to achieve the best results. 

Your trainer for the day is Peter Davey. Peter is an experienced director and specialises in helping housing associations and local authorities to improve the quality of their services and their approaches to governance and resident involvement.   He has advised the Housing Corporation and the Chartered Institute of Housing and written two good practice guides for the National Housing Federation.  He has served as a trustee of several charities and is currently a board member of Thames Reach, a charity working with London’s rough sleepers.