More Empowerment For Scotland's Tenants

2nd April 2012

Social housing in Scotland entered a new era today, as Housing and Transport Minister, Keith Brown MSP, launched Scotland's first Social Housing Charter.

Affecting over 600,000 households, the Social Housing Charter sets 16 standards and outcomes that all social landlords should be achieving for the tenants and other customers.

The Charter, which came into force on 1st April , followed extensive consultation with landlords and tenants. Key outcomes for tenants and other customers include that they: find it easy to participate in decisions that affect them; live in well-maintained neighbourhoods where they feel safe; and receive services that provide continually improving value for the rent and other charges they pay.

Keith Brown said:"The Charter empowers tenants to hold landlords to account for the services they deliver by stating clearly in plain language what they and other customers can expect from their landlord.

"We have worked closely with tenants and their landlords to develop standards and outcomes that describe what the best landlords are achieving already. The challenge now is for all landlords to match the performance of the best.

"It also provides the basis for the new Scottish Housing Regulator to assess and report on how well landlords are performing - to identify where they are doing well and where they need to improve.

"Effective tenant participation is key to landlords delivering services that tenants want and it is crucial that landlords gather and take account of the views and priorities of their tenants in shaping their services.

"There are some excellent examples of landlords really involving their tenants and taking account of their views and priorities before making decisions that matter to and affect them. We want to see much more of that and we will be paying particular attention to the Regulator's assessments in this area."

"We will use the Regulator's reports to ensure that public investment in new social housing goes only to landlords assessed as performing well."