The Room Where It Happens: The Strategic Power of Tenant Involvement in Social Housing
Tuesday 22nd of July 2025
During the musical Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, in the title role, sings of being ambitious wanting to do more to influence the politics of revolutionary America and be “In the room where it happens”. In this new world of regulation tenants are increasingly demanding that they have a voice not just on day to services but strategic delivery to.
In the shifting terrain of social housing in the UK, one principle is increasingly clear: tenants must be part of the solution, not just recipients of services. Strategic tenant involvement—giving residents real power over the policies, priorities, and long-term decisions that shape their homes and communities—is proving to be essential in creating a more just, accountable, and responsive housing system.
What is Strategic Involvement—and Why Does it Matter?
Strategic tenant involvement goes beyond satisfaction surveys or service feedback. It means tenants having direct influence over:
- Housing organisation business plans and strategic objectives
- Asset management and repairs investment programmes
- Health and safety compliance and risk management
- Climate and sustainability strategies
- Community regeneration and placemaking projects
When tenants are involved in shaping these decisions, housing services become not only more democratic but also more effective. Their lived experience brings insight that professionals, however well-intentioned, often miss.
Tenants help organisations spot early warning signs, prioritise scarce resources, and maintain a reality check. They’re uniquely placed to highlight unintended consequences, flag blind spots, and propose ideas that work on the ground. Involving them strategically helps embed social value into the core of housing delivery—not just the margins.
Government Momentum: A Policy Shift Towards Co-Governance
The UK government’s latest policy announcements, particularly in the July 2025 Housing Statement, have placed tenant voice and accountability firmly on the agenda. Building on the earlier provisions of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023, new proposals include:
- Tenant Voice Panels embedded in local strategic boards, influencing place-based housing decisions.
- Enhanced Scrutiny Bodies with legal rights to review safety performance, major works plans, and decarbonisation strategies.
- Mandatory Co-Design Protocols for local authorities and housing associations receiving public grants.
- Enforcement mechanisms under Awaab’s Law, giving tenants formal roles in oversight where damp, mould, or health risks persist.
These reforms align with calls from tenant advocates for more than just consultation. The goal is co-governance—where tenants are equipped, supported, and empowered to shape decisions as equal partners.
Examples from the Front Line
Some housing providers have already begun walking this path. Let’s look at a few leading examples:
Salford City Council
Salford has created a Resident Strategy Board that reviews all key housing strategies before they go to Cabinet. It has a special focus on health inequalities, safety, and digital access—issues identified directly by tenants through a borough-wide listening campaign.
Watford Community Housing
This landlord uses formal co-creation methodologies to engage residents in developing its long-term business strategy. Tenants helped shape goals around decarbonisation, equality, and digital transformation, and now sit on panels monitoring delivery progress.
Gentoo, Sunderland
Gentoo’s award-winning Tenant Voice Team supports a network of community advocates who scrutinise executive decisions and co-produce service standards. Their insights have influenced the group’s domestic abuse strategy and digital inclusion roll-out.
In each case, the presence of tenants at the strategic level has led to better-informed decisions, reduced complaints, and a more transparent culture.
Learning from Europe: How Other Countries Do It
While the UK is now catching up, several European countries have long-established systems that embed tenant influence into housing strategy at both local and national levels:
Austria
In Austria’s robust public housing system, tenant unions sit at the table during annual national negotiations on rent controls, maintenance obligations, and subsidy allocations. Tenants help shape housing law, not just respond to it. This results in low eviction rates and high levels of satisfaction and affordability.
Sweden
In Sweden, tenants are represented through Hyresgästföreningen (Swedish Union of Tenants), which negotiates collective rent agreements and plays a role in shaping municipal housing plans. Its representatives often participate in regeneration planning and climate strategies, making tenant input a matter of law and practice.
The Netherlands
Dutch law mandates that housing associations consult recognised tenant bodies on strategy documents such as annual plans and budgets. Some associations even have tenant representatives on supervisory boards. This makes strategic involvement part of corporate governance, not an optional add-on.
These systems show how formalising tenant influence strengthens democratic accountability and helps balance the power dynamics in housing systems.
Barriers to Meaningful Strategic Involvement
While the case for strategic tenant involvement is clear, challenges remain. These include:
- Capacity gaps: Tenants need access to training, data, and facilitation to engage meaningfully at a strategic level.
- Tokenism: Involvement often remains symbolic unless it is tied to real power and influence.
- Inequality: Marginalised groups may be underrepresented in formal structures, limiting diversity of perspective.
What Needs to Happen Next?
To fully realise the benefits of strategic tenant involvement, several conditions must be met:
- Legal clarity on tenants’ rights to strategic influence, not just operational consultation.
- Dedicated funding to support tenant training, independence, and digital inclusion.
- Performance measurement on how housing providers deliver strategic engagement, including regulatory oversight.
- Innovation in engagement techniques, including deliberative methods like citizens' assemblies, participatory budgeting, and digital platforms that broaden participation.
Conclusion: From Passive Consumer to Active Partner
Strategic tenant involvement is not just about better services—it’s about building democratic institutions within housing. At a time when housing challenges are intensifying—from the climate emergency to inequality and housing need—solutions must be co-produced with the people who live in and rely on social housing.
The government’s recent moves to put tenants at the heart of reform are welcome. But to succeed, this must go beyond panels and charters. We need a housing system where tenant influence is baked into strategy, decision-making, and governance at every level.
When tenants are trusted as partners, not just customers, the result is stronger communities, smarter decisions, and safer homes. It’s not just the right thing to do. It’s the smart thing to do.