We want to make sure customers are at the heart of decision making at EHA. Our Tenant Engagement Policy and Strategy, which directs our work, outlines our commitment to listen actively to customers views, and act where we can.

‘Tenant engagement’ is the act of using tenant insight and input to improve services, and making them more efficient. Engaging with, and involving tenants happens across four main, interlinking levels.

There are four levels our tenants can be engaged with us – from accessing the information they need, up to leading the business by being on our Board (see below). In between this, there’s our Tenant Opinion Panel and our Scrutiny Audit Panel, and the opportunity to join small one-off ‘Taskforces’ – more on these groups later.

Hearing your voice

We aim to involve our tenants at the start of developing changes and new services.

We use a tool to work out the impact on tenants and the influence you have, so we don’t miss the opportunity to ask you what you think. Where something affects you directly and there is opportunity to influence (i.e. not a legal requirement), we seek opinions and use them to inform our work.

If it’s something that affects you but is a change directed by the government or a legal change, we will make sure to tell you; usually via Viewpoint, or by direct communication where necessary.

Tenants’ Voice Report – a report that showcases what you’ve told us, and the impact your views have had on our services!

Over the last year, we’ve worked with tenants to make changes across our services, which have led to positive outcomes – both for EHA, and our tenants. Our Tenants’ Voice report summarises how we heard your voices, how we’ve listened and acted, and the impact you may feel as a result.

Towards the end of the report, you’ll find our new ‘Menu of Involvement’, where you can see all of the ways you can be involved in our work. You can then tell us how you’d like us to listen – from online surveys for specific areas of service, to joining our Board.

You can complete the Menu of Involvement survey directly HERE… whichever way you’d like to tell us your views – we want to hear them!

What do you think of our report? Tell us at: [email protected].

How can I be involved?

We know that going to meetings or filling out surveys isn’t for everyone, but changes in our services are most successful when they are driven by our tenants.

We’ve tried to create ways to provide opportunities to share your views that suit everyone. At EHA we offer opportunities for you to share your views across 4 ‘levels’:

1. Be informed

2. Share insight

Tenant Opinion Panel

EHA’s Tenant Opinion Panel (TOP) is our growing community of tenants who want to tell us what they think around services they are interested in. We send opportunities to give opinions via online surveys, then use the feedback to shape or update our services.

Sometimes, TOP’s opinions are used to update policies and services, and members may be invited to join a Taskforce to work with us on more in-depth service reviews.

If you’d like to join our ever-growing panel of service changers, join our Facebook group HERE. Our tenant only group is called EHA Tenant Opinion Panel. Or email your details to [email protected].

3. Be involved

Scrutiny Taskforce

Work over a six-week period with two workshops (attend in person, online, or review recording in your own time and feed back via email

Where work needs to be done to improve a service, we will work with tenants to develop a plan to make positive changes.

We contact tenants to join a small group: a ‘Taskforce’ to work with us over a short period of time, in ways which suit them, to carry out a review. All reviews result in a report and recommendations, which goes to staff and our Board to action.

All areas are selected by our Scrutiny Audit Panel. The group reviews relevant performance and satisfaction information, to look for trends. They highlight where they want us to improve for the benefit of all tenants, staff then form a ‘Taskforce’ of tenants to carry out the review.

All recommendations which are approved by our Board are then actioned by staff. Progress with each recommendation is monitored by Scrutiny Audit Panel and Audit and Risk Committee (a sub-committee of our Board) on a quarterly basis.

Safe and Quality Homes Panel

Meetings 4 times a year

Our Safe and Quality Homes Panel works with managers responsible for the delivery of Safe and Quality Homes to make sure our services meet the requirements of the
Government’s Safety and Quality Standard:

• Repairs and Maintenance Manager – ‘responsive’ repairs
• Asset Manager – home upgrades and maintenance
• Property Compliance and Facilities Manager – ensuring your homes meet the
  necessary safety standards
• Housing Manager – making sure homes are ready for a new tenancy to begin

This year they’ve considered and reviewed our performance against 3 key areas of the Safety and Quality Standard – Stock Quality, Decency and Aids and Adaptations. At each
meeting they review our performance through our budgets, KPIs and how we manage risk within the delivery of safe and quality homes.

4. Help Manage

When an area for review has been identified, engagement staff put together a plan to form a new ‘Task Force’. SAP reviews the plan, and their suggestions are included where necessary before we begin.

Once complete, SAP review the final Taskforce report, using a ‘Scrutiny Audit Checklist’, which checks the review meets certain standards/ measures. These measures are based around the new proposed Consumer Standards, by the Regulator for Social Housing.

These include:

• Diverse Needs – Check that EHA has understood and taken appropriate action to meet tenants’ engagement needs, to allow them fair access to scrutinising services.
• Equitable – check that final recommendations are equitable for tenants.
• Engagement with tenants – Check that EHA has taken tenants’ views into account through report recommendations.
• Information provided – Check scrutineers have been given clear and timely information around what to expect from their landlord, to allow them to hold their landlord to account. 

If you’re interested in finding, out more or want to join SAP, contact our Engagement and Insight Team on 01768 861435 or email [email protected].

Tenant Board Membership

Meetings every other month

Eden Housing Association is managed by our Board, who make sure the Association operates effectively in line with EHA’s Corporate plan objectives, and its legal and moral obligations to tenants.

We welcome tenants to join, as these members have additional insight as a customer of the Association’s services, allowing them to consider a tenant’s perspective more accurately. If you are interested in joining our Board, and would like an informal discussion around the role, please contact [email protected].

EHA Fund

Led by tenants, in 2024 we launched our fund, exclusively for EHA tenants – the Eden Housing Association Training Bursary and Neighbourhood Fund.

EHA tenant can apply for up to £50 on behalf of a group they’re involved with, to fund refreshments for their local play group or plants for their gardening group, for example. The bursary fund provides £50 towards training, which can be used towards fees, resources, transport etc towards some training you’d like to do.

If you’d like to find out more, contact to [email protected].