Tenant and Resident Associations
Are you interested in getting involved in your local tenant or
resident association?
See the Tenants' and Residents'
Associations listing for a full list.
Do you want your association to be recognised by the Council
and your landlord, housing association or managing agent?
Please see our getting your association
recognised page.
Are you looking for advice on dealing with conflict or a
'sticky situation' in your association?
Check out our short guide with top tips and further resources on
dealing
with conflict in tenant and resident associations and garden
committees [PDF] (file size 119Kb)
If there isn't an association in your area, street or housing
block, have you considered setting one up?
We can work with you to support other residents to start your
own association; we can arrange training, provide model
constitutions and other documents, and facilitate support from
other established associations. Contact the Community Engagement
Team using the contact details on this page.
Get started by downloading our How
to set up a residents group guide [PDF] (file size
500Kb).
We also recommend you have a look at the 'best practice'
criteria for tenant and resident associations from the Gold
Standard Award for guidance:
Gold Standard Award Guidance Booklet [PDF] (file size 1.2Mb).
Please also see our page on the Gold Standard Award for tenant and
resident associations if you would like more information: www.rbkc.gov.uk/goldstandard.
The first thing you'll need is a constitution which sets out the
rules and aims for your association. Download a model
constitution:
This constitution is an 'everything and the kitchen sink'
model - we recommend you adapt it according to your needs. It is
recommended that a constitution cover at least the following:
a) Clearly stated aims and objectives that seek to promote the
interest of all residents in the area.
b) A statement setting out who can be a member and any fees that
are payable.
c) A statement or policy setting out the association’s
commitment to equalities and describing how the group ensures that
all potential members are treated fairly. Information on how the
association identifies local residents’ needs and views, what steps
are taken to encourage all residents to get involved, and what is
done to address any apparent imbalance in the association’s
membership should be included.
d) A list of the titles of any officers, what roles they fulfil
and details of the decision-making arrangements (e.g. the minimum
number of members required for a meeting to go ahead; or the rules
for dealing with disputes, conflicts of interest and members’
complaints). There should also be arrangements around meetings and
consultation and communication.
e) Details of financial arrangements to include sources of
income, how decisions on spending are being or will be made, and
when and how accounts will be published.
f) What will happen if the association is no longer operating
and what will happen to any assets.
g) A statement of how and when the constitution can be changed,
what notice is required and what proportion of members have to
vote.
The Community Engagement Team has many more resources and can
provide one-on-one support to help you set up a group. Send us an
email on communityengagement@rbkc.gov.uk
or give us a ring on 020 7598 4633 to set up an appointment or get
your questions answered.