Vital feedback on the first year of tenant annual reports is
highlighted in a handy toolkit for social housing providers.
Leicestershire-based communications agency Word Association has
launched its new, updated free guide to help housing, tenant
engagement and communications professionals produce tenant annual
reports.
The pack includes a summary of feedback from the National Tenant
Organisations in their new report, "First Year Annual Reports to
Tenants: Tenant Perspectives. A good start, but could do
better".
In their review, the NTOs make recommendations to improve on
last year's reports and highlight examples of best practice.
These include two reports produced by Word Association - for
Beechdale Community Housing Association and Optima Community
Association, which also won a tenant involvement award.
Word Association Chief Executive Mark Thomas said: "The NTOs'
feedback will prove invaluable in helping housing providers build
on the foundations of last year's reports.
"Their review looks at what they did and didn't like about a
wide cross-section of last year's reports, from a tenants'
perspective.
"They offer pointers and advice on how to improve on the first
wave of reports, ensuring this year's documents will truly inform
and engage tenants."
The revised toolkit follows the success of the guide Word
Association produced last year, which was used by more than 250
landlords.
2010 was the first year such reports - specifically produced
for, and with the involvement of, tenants - had to be produced as a
requirement of new regulations laid down by the Tenant Services
Authority (TSA).
The new toolkit also draws on Word Association's experience of
producing 20 such reports last year.
The free pack includes examples of fully compliant, best
practice reports from last year, as well as sections covering the
TSA guidance, local offers, tenant involvement and performance
information.
Mark Thomas recently gave a presentation about tenant annual
reports at the National Housing Federation's Communications and
Marketing Conference.
Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the free pack should
contact mark@wordassociation.co.uk