National Tenants Voice

Leeds Tenants Federation has called for tenants to be given a statutory right to be consulted in government policy, in its response to proposals on Tenant Empowerment.

Leeds Tenants Federation has responded to the consultation paper on Tenant Empowerment from Communities and Local Government calling for real power to be transferred to residents.

It has called for a National Tenants Voice to be modelled on the Swedish Union of Tenants where the national tenant organisation has statutory rights and is involved in negotiations on rent setting and represents tenants at tribunals.

Leeds Tenants Federation proposes that Government departments and the new Homes Agency should be statutorily required to consult with the National Voice for Tenants in housing policy making.

We believe that the National Tenants Voice should be an independent body composed of members of existing national and regional tenants organisations. In this way the national voice would not duplicate existing work but rather draw it together and focus it strongly.

The idea for a National Tenants Voice came from the Cave review of housing regulation, 'Every Tenant Matters'. Cave suggested that a new national body was needed to make sure that tenants were represented as consumers. One of the government's proposals is that a Tenants Voice should be part of the National Consumer Council.

Leeds Tenants Federation does not believe that the housing sector is compatible with the de-regulated utilities, like gas and electricity. Therefore, we don't believe the model of a watchdog is suitable. Social housing will remain regulated and very much a subject of government policy.

Tenants are not consumers - they are citizens with rights. They should have the right to be consulted as citizens in government policy. What we need is a national tenants organisation that is sufficiently funded to play the roles of both advocate and representative body; one that has the right to be consulted and to make a real difference in housing policy.