- Apply
- Adult learning courses
- Housing or Council Tax Benefits
- Allotments
- Jobs at the Council
- Bus pass
- Library membership
- Carer's assessment
- Licences
- Council housing services
- Planning applications
- Council tax and business rates
- Register for My Account
- Disabled parking
- Rubbish and recycling services
- Free school meals
- School places
- HMO licence
- Social services assistance
- HomeChoice Bristol
- Pay
- Report
- Abandoned property
- Housing repairs
- Benefits fraud
- Litter and street sweeping
- Complaints, compliments and comments
- Missed bin collections
- Concerns about a child
- Planning and building control reports
- Domestic violence
- Problems in my area
- Flyposting and graffiti
- Problems with roads, pavements and drains
- Freedom of information
- Taxi complaints
- Harassment and hate crime
- My Account
You are here
On this page:
What is a Tenant Management Organisation?
Tenant Management Organisations are groups of tenants and/or leaseholders who manage their homes on behalf of their local council. They provide a range of housing management services such as caretaking, day to day repairs and grounds maintenance.
Within England there are approximately 230 Tenant Management Organisations, some of which have been running for over 25 years. Whilst there are no live Tenant Management Organisations in Bristol, three are in development.
The right to manage
All council tenants and leaseholders (as long as they meet certain requirements) have the right to take over the management of their homes. This is known as the right to manage.
In order to gain full Tenant Management Organisation status emerging groups must follow a set process. This is laid down in the Housing (Right to Manage) (England) Regulations 2008. Tenant Management Organisations are supported by a lead advisor who will assist the group with:
- writing various documents and plans
- delivering training
- providing general support and guidance.
Developing Tenant Management Organisations are funded by the Tenant Services Authority (75%) and their local council (25%).
Steps that emerging organisations must go through
To make sure that developing Tenant Management Organisations are fit for purpose, an independently approved assessor will review them on three occasions. During the final assessment the assessor will consider the Tenant Management Organisations business plan. Using the Common Assessment Model, they will judge the organisations progress against:
- governance
- community involvement and communication
- financial control
- organisation and strategy.
If the Tenant Management Organisation successfully passes its stage three assessment and is deemed fit to manage housing services, they can proceed to the ballot phase of the process. This is where every secure tenant and leaseholder living within their proposed area have the opportunity to vote for or against setting up the Tenant Management Organisation. As long as a majority is achieved the organisation can then move to agree:
- how services will be provided
- how they will be managed
- what policies and procedures will be used
- what the performance monitoring procedures and targets are.
The Tenant Management Organisation and local council will agree and sign a Modular Management Agreement. This is a legally binding contract between both parties and sets out:
- the jobs the Tenant Management Organisation will be responsible for and the jobs the local council will continue to do
- the way the Tenant Management Organisation are going to do the jobs
- the standards the Tenant Management Organisation are aiming to achieve in carrying out the jobs it is going to take on
- the standards the local council should achieve in carrying out the jobs it is going to carry out
- the relationship between the Tenant Management Organisation and the local council
- how the local council will monitor and support the group and what happens if things go wrong.
It can take an emerging Tenant Management Organisation between three and seven years to gain full Tenant Management Organisation status.
Tenant Management Organisations in Bristol
There are three emerging Tenant Management Organisations in Bristol. They are:
- EARTH - Covering 2,246 homes in Easton and Ashley (external website)
- Housing Solutions - Covering 1,696 homes in Barton Hill and Lawrence Hill (external website)
- Spirit Homes - Covering 975 homes in Manor Farm and parts of Horfield and Lockleaze (external website)
A group of tenants who have been investigating the possibility of setting up a Tenant Management Organisation covering Bedminster, Redcliffe, Hotwells and Windmill Hill has been unsuccessful in its bid to gain full Tenant Management Organisation status.
We have a dedicated officer whose role it is to liaise with the organisations and Bristol City Council and:
- provide support
- monitor the groups
- attend monthly board meetings and
- arrange training sessions as required.
All of the Tenant Management Organisations are at a similar stage of development and will complete their final assessment during the next two months.
Further information
For further information please contact Martin Owen on 0117 352 5235 or email martin.owen@bristol.gov.uk.
- National Federation of Tenant Management Organisations (external website)
- Tenant Services Authority (external website)
- Department for Communities and Local Government (external website)
