Cost and quality of service are the most important criteria for tenants involved in their housing provider’s decision-making processes, while innovation and environmental considerations are their lowest priorities, according to a survey from the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Tenants and Residents Organisations of England (TAROE) and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS).
Housing providers are now successfully involving their tenants in decision making, with 64 per cent of tenants finding advice from landlords to be helpful and only 24 per cent feeling they lack influence. However, some tenants complained of poor feedback from landlords, a limited range of choices and the selection of the most compliant tenants for decision-making roles.
Tenants prioritised cost (58%), quality of service (47%), impact on rents (45%), impact on household bills (43%), quality of life (40%) and durability (37%). The areas of poor performance were carbon footprint (15%), appearance (12%) and innovation (3%).
Peter Coleing, chairman of TPAS, said, “The fact that tenants think cost and quality are both critical reflects what we know; namely that tenants seek value for money and that is why they should be at the heart of decision making and effective scrutiny. Tenants are now included more than ever in the award of contracts and services, a trend that will increase in the future.”
