Social housing tenants - support to engage: research report

1. Summary

1.1 In 2024, the Scottish Government (SG) commissioned TPAS Scotland (TPAS) to conduct a thematic study with the aim of researching the support available to tenants to engage and participate with the work of their landlord, and to provide a baseline report on the range and variety of available support.

1.2 TPAS has been supporting tenants’ groups and landlords for over 40 years, providing services that help upskill tenants to become involved in a range of housing issues, and supporting landlords to make this happen.

1.3 A series of discussion groups with tenants and officers took place during spring 2024 via Teams to discuss support available for tenants to participate. In addition, a survey was issued to TPAS members to capture additional information.

1.4 From these discussions and survey responses, details of the range of ways through which landlords support tenants to engage and participate was established as well as a picture of how tenants viewed this support.

1.5 Originally as part of scoping for this study, one area of interest for research was the role of mentoring, however during the course of the research it has been established that mentoring, either formal or informal, is not a key priority for either landlords or tenants.

1.6 Succession planning for all groups was another area of interest, and the research also considered succession planning arrangements for RTOs and scrutiny panels in addition to the planning that many landlords routinely undertake in relation to their governing body. 40% of landlords who responded to the survey have no succession plan in place for any of their groups.

1.7 Based on the discussion group feedback, individuals derive clear, positive outcomes from participating with their landlord, including accessing training, learning and the opportunity to work in partnership with – and learn from – other people. These skills can often have a beneficial impact on other areas of life, including employment and education, and can help to support people in playing stronger roles in their community and wider society.

1.8 In turn, with the active involvement and participation of their tenants, landlords are able to develop services, policies and strategies which take account of the priorities of tenants and are therefore more likely to lead to enhanced service-delivery, improved performance and tenant satisfaction.