Tenant Involvement

RVH aims to promote empowerment and involvement of tenants, allowing them to: 

• Shape the overall business strategy
• Influence RVH aims and objectives
• Help change neighbourhoods in response to communities needs
• To actively promote the Governments Respect Community Cohesion Agenda

There are a number of ways in which RVH tenants will be able to get involved in our work – individually through surveys, in meetings or focus groups, or in more formal structures that link directly to RVH Board membership. The different ways in which tenants can be involved will be designed to suit tenants themselves.

Involvement in the work of RVH will help to ensure that services are directed o to those who need them, and to take action quickly where things are not going as well as they should. It is the customers of RVH who are in the best position to assess the quality of RVH services.

Tenants and residents will get involved because they want something changed, services improved, or want a voice in how policy or practice will develop. Resident and community involvement needs to make and be seen to make a positive change within neighbourhoods and communities.

With RVH tenants and leaseholders can be involved:

• As individuals

• Through their local tenant and resident association

• Through involvement in a neighbourhood, customer or specialist panel 

• As a member of RVH board

When RVH consult this means involving tenants and leaseholders in looking at ideas and requesting their opinions. RVH will ask tenants and leaseholders to comment and respond to a particular proposal. When we consult we will ensure that we give careful consideration to what our tenants and leaseholders tell us. Consultation will not simply be asking about a preferred option, proposals can be changed as a result of what people say.

A priority for RVH will be to publicise and promote the opportunities for involvement. This will be done through the following: -

• A tenant and leaseholder information leaflet
• Information given at sign up of tenancy
• Information displayed in reception areas and other key community locations e.g. health centres, libraries etc
• Promoting at public events
• Through RVH staff and contractors

RVH will also ensure that its staff and recognised tenant and resident representatives are adequately trained and informed about RVH Involvement strategy, thus enabling them to promote it at every customer contact opportunity.

RVH will actively encourage involvement in all areas of work and will ensure that involvement opportunities are offered at the earliest stage in any process. Tenants and leaseholders can get involved and have influence in the following areas of RVH work: -
• Management of the organisation through Board membership
• Monitoring performance information
• The way we manage our properties and influence other neighbourhood services, for example being part of a neighbourhood inspection team
• RVH policy and practice, including tenancy agreement and policy development
• Improvement or major repair to homes
• Plans for neighbourhood regeneration
• The design and management of new homes

RVH recognises that tenants and leaseholders will only continue to be involved if they see that their involvement has made a difference, RVH will therefore provide comprehensive feedback to tenants and leaseholders on the impact of their involvement together with how and why decisions have been made.

RVH also recognises that one of the best ways to get more people involved will be to widely publicise the changes that have been implemented as a result of tenants and residents getting involved. This will show that RVH are an organisation that really does listen to tenants and values what they say. Promotion and feedback will be done through personal letters, RVH newsletters and posters in RVH offices.