For the Autumn issue of Hull Housing News, Mark Nearney, Hull’s Executive Director of Housing and Communities, answers a question from a tenant.
Q: What is Tpas and why does it matter to tenants?
You might have heard Council staff or tenant representatives talking about Tpas –pronounced ‘Tee-Pass’. It began as the Tenants Participation Advisory Service and is now England’s leading organisation for tenant engagement.
Put simply, their job is to help housing providers like Hull City Council make sure tenants have a real voice and can influence the services they receive. They set standards for how it should be done, and judge whether we’re getting it right.
We’re proud to have once again achieved the Tpas Quality Mark, which recognises great tenant engagement. They don’t hand it out lightly! Tpas looks at how we involve tenants, gather feedback, communicate, support resident groups and use what we learn to improve services. They speak to staff and tenants and assess all the evidence before making their decision.
The Quality Mark matters because it’s someone on the outside checking that we’re doing the right things. And it’s not a one-off inspection – every two years, Tpas come back to inspect us and they always challenge us to keep doing better with ideas for further improvement. Keeping our eye on the ball means always listening, learning and acting.
Most importantly, none of this would be possible without tenants. Thank you to our Tenants’ Forum members, tenant representatives, TARA members, and everyone who gives their time, knowledge, experience, ideas and opinions to help shape our services. Your feedback makes a real difference and helps us deliver better outcomes for all our tenants.
What do you think? Let us know – email tenant.participation@hullcc.gov.uk