Residents' associations
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland
Residents' associations can help to improve neighbourhoods by putting pressure on bad landlords and freeholders, improving the local environment and community spirit and helping local residents to tackle problems like antisocial behaviour, noise nuisance and vandalism.
What is a residents' association?
Residents' associations provide a collective voice for people who live in the same area, or who have the same landlord. Members work together to improve housing and the environment in their neighbourhood and to build a sense of community. Residents' associations may be called 'tenant's associations' or have other formal names, but they have the same job.
Where tenants or leaseholders manage their own homes together, they have a flat management company, tenant management organisation or housing co-operative. The main job of these organisations is property management, but they often act like residents' associations as well.
A residents' association may be set up with a particular aim, such as making and running a children's play area or garden, tackling antisocial behaviour, or protesting against a planned development. The association may stay focused on this single issue or it may expand to cover other concerns that residents have.
How do I get involved?
You should be able to get details of local residents' associations from:
- some landlords
- the council
- your local library
- community centres.
The easiest way to get involved is to attend a meeting. This may be a formal meeting, or it may be a party, open day or other social occasion. Most associations are keen to get new members and will make you feel welcome. Some associations have playgroups, community gardens or other schemes that you can get involved in.
You may be asked to pay a small fee, but this is just to cover costs. You will probably be asked to help, for example by delivering leaflets, putting up a poster or joining a committee. Take on what you can, but don't over-commit yourself.
If you feel that the residents' association does not prioritise issues that you think are important, ask whether anyone else shares your feelings. You may be able to build on what the association already does, which is much easier than starting from scratch. But be sensitive to long-standing members. Remember the aim is to work together, and that will be difficult if someone feels sidelined or threatened.
What if there is no residents' association?
You could start one. You will need a few local residents to help you. You could advertise by putting up notices in the library, GP's surgery, community centre, nursery etc, and tell the local paper, which may publish an article about what you are trying to achieve.
Decide whether your association is to represent a block, an estate or a street. You can restrict membership to tenants or homeowners, but recognised tenants' associations must be open to both. The association could represent all tenants of a particular landlord, or have a particular aim, such as making and running a children's play area or garden, tackling antisocial behaviour, or protesting against a planned development.
At the first meeting, you need to elect a chair, secretary and treasurer and other committee members. You will need a constitution outlining your aims, criteria for membership, the geographic area you represent and how the association will be run. If none of the people starting the association have previous experience of running voluntary groups, see below.
Make sure that your association is responsible and accountable, democratic and representative of the whole community. Try to reach minority groups, arrange meetings to suit as many people as possible and have an equal opportunities policy. While there can be no room for racism, sexism or other bigotry in a residents' association, give everybody the right to express an opinion and respect their views.
You can get help in starting and running residents' associations from:
- your council's housing department (find their details on the Directgov website), which should support new and existing residents' associations
- Tenants Participatory Advisory Service (TPAS), which is a national organisation of landlords and tenants, which works to improve tenant participation in housing and which offers a number of resources on its website
- your local Voluntary Action/Community Volunteer Service (ask for details at your library or look on the NAVCA website)
The help might include advice leaflets, the loan of a room for meetings or facilities for producing leaflets, a constitution or training of the new chairperson, secretary and treasurer.
Recognised tenants' associations
There are a number of advantages of a residents' association being recognised by the council and relevant housing associations. Councils and housing associations should all have strategies in place to support recognised tenants' organisations and encourage tenants to take part in the decision making process. Recognised tenants' organisations have rights to consultation on decisions that affect them, for example:
- changes to management policies
- housing conditions
- housing services
- stock transfer
- and may also qualify for a council grant to meet costs, and for practical help.
All councils and housing associations must keep a register of tenants' and residents' associations as part of their tenant participation strategy. You can apply to register your organisation if any members of your organisation are council or housing association tenants. Contact the council's housing department or the housing association, or look for 'tenant participation' on their website for more information.
You will need to be able to show that you have:
- a constitution and officers, at least a chairperson and treasurer
- meetings, including an annual general meeting
- accounts
- membership open to tenants and leaseholders.
If your association represents several tenants of another landlord, make sure that the landlord recognises you too. Recognition procedures vary, so ask your landlord for more detailed information about their process and criteria.
A residents association representing leaseholders should write to the freeholder for recognition: if this is not given, the association can apply to a Rent Assessment Panel for recognition. A recognised association has rights to consultation about service charges, choice of managing agents and other decisions.
What if an association doesn't want to be recognised?
Residents' associations don't have to be recognised by the council and/or relevant landlords or freeholders. This may give more freedom about how they are run and whom they represent. In this case councils and housing associations will not be obliged to consult them on housing decisions, although some landlords may choose to do so anyway.
How are residents' associations funded?
You will need money to launch and run your association, for example to pay for publicity, refreshments, meeting room hire and other expenses. To cover this, you may decide to charge members a small fee to join the association, or you may carry out other fundraising activities.
If your association is recognised, you may well be able to obtain funding from the council or housing association. You could also apply for a small grant from the National Lottery's Big Lottery Fund.
Residents associations for mobile/park homes and houseboats
Like residents of other homes, it makes sense to form or join a residents' association. The legal rights of park home and houseboat residents are generally weaker than those of tenants or homeowners, so an association that can represent residents and spread advice and information is particularly useful.
Protected park home residents can form a qualifying residents' association. The park owner must consult the association on certain important decisions about management of the park. To qualify, the association must include at least half of the park home residents and exclude the park owner and staff. There are other requirements too. Associations that want to qualify should get advice - use our directory to find an agency in your area.
