Resident involvement is now central to government and local organisations' approach to the delivery of housing services. However, an untouchable quality has developed around the issue, which means that few people are prepared to question its costs and benefits, or whether it is a worthwhile process. This has led to considerable confusion about why social landlords involve residents, and what the most effective approaches are.
This report argues that residents and landlords should adopt a more questioning and open approach. There needs to be greater honesty about the achievements that activities are designed to accomplish. Housing organisations should be clear about whether they are involving residents to:
- improve services or housing stock.
- enhance accountability to users.
- build social capital and community capacity.
They should communicate their rationale to residents and then monitor and evaluate their efforts against the objectives they have set. The findings of this study are based on research carried out with housing associations, but they will be relevant across the social housing sector.
The benefits of resident involvement can be considerable. Our research established clear evidence of benefits, to the business, to residents and to the wider community. Specific gains for housing organisations include an impact on performance, better services and enhanced accountability.