In the social housing sector, the relationship between landlord and tenant has always carried more weight than just bricks and mortar. It’s about trust, accountability, and communication. Yet for far too long, the sector has treated engagement as an add-on rather than an essential part of service delivery.
That mindset is changing.
Spurred by regulatory reform, public scrutiny, and rising tenant expectations, a deeper conversation has emerged: not just about how we listen, but who we listen to and when silence speaks volumes too.
The Rise of Resident Voice
Historically, tenant engagement often meant focus groups, tenant panels, or periodic satisfaction surveys. While these tools had value, they were frequently underpowered, limited in scope, inconsistent in follow-through, and often seen by tenants as superficial exercises that lacked real influence.
Fast forward to 2025, and the context has shifted dramatically. The Social Housing (Regulation) Act, the introduction of Awaab’s Law, and a growing appetite for transparency have all reinforced one simple truth: resident voice isn’t a box to tick, it’s the foundation of good housing management.
Today’s tenants are more informed, digitally connected, and vocal about their experiences. And rightly so. Housing is a basic human need. When something goes wrong, whether it’s mould, disrepair, or a broken line of communication, the impact can be significant, especially for vulnerable households.
Rebuilding Trust After a Fracture
The need to rebuild trust in social housing is not hypothetical. It’s a real, urgent task rooted in lived experience.
High-profile tragedies like Grenfell Tower and the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak exposed the fatal consequences of ignoring tenants. In both cases, tenants had raised concerns and in both cases, they were dismissed, sidelined, or left unheard.
These moments weren’t isolated. They were symbolic of a deeper systemic failure: the erosion of trust between housing providers and residents.
Since then, the sector has been under pressure to change. Regulators are more active. Political interest is higher. And most importantly, residents are more vocal, not just about what went wrong, but what they want to see done differently.
Engagement Needs to Be Real and Representative
One of the persistent challenges in social housing is ensuring that the resident voice reflects the full spectrum of people living in social homes.
Too often, engagement is driven by the most confident, available, or established participants. While their contributions are valuable, they don't necessarily reflect the broader population, especially in diverse neighbourhoods where language, disability, digital exclusion, or working hours limit traditional forms of participation.
That’s why leading organisations are evolving their approach:
- Using community connectors or local facilitators who residents already know and trust
- Offering payment or incentives for participation to recognise the value of residents’ time and insight
- Moving beyond meetings and forms to include WhatsApp, text-based surveys, community forums, and informal in-person events
- Partnering with youth groups, schools, or faith centres to reach harder-to-engage residents
True engagement means making space for new voices, not just amplifying the ones that are easiest to hear.
The Right to Be Heard and the Right to Be Left Alone
An important and often overlooked part of this conversation is the right to silence.
Not all tenants want to engage. And they shouldn’t have to.
There are residents who are fully satisfied, their rent is paid, their property is in order, and they simply want to live their lives without regular contact from their landlord. For them, housing is a service that should run quietly and efficiently in the background.
That choice must be respected. It aligns with the legal concept of quiet enjoyment, a fundamental right enshrined in tenancy law. If a resident is fulfilling their responsibilities and not in breach of any agreement, they are under no obligation to participate in consultations, answer surveys, or attend meetings.
It’s a delicate balance. On the one hand, providers are being asked to demonstrate strong resident engagement. On the other, they must avoid overreaching into people’s lives or giving the impression that compliance equals coercion.
Listening, in this sense, also means recognising when to stop asking and letting residents opt out with dignity.
Digital Tools Can Support — But Not Replace — Human Connection
The last few years have seen a wave of digital transformation across the sector. Many housing associations now offer self-service portals, online repairs tracking, and automated communications. These tools are valuable particularly for routine interactions and help free up staff time for more complex work.
But digital must not become a substitute for meaningful contact.
For tenants experiencing vulnerability, poor conditions, or frustration, technology can feel cold and impersonal. They don’t want a chatbot. They want a housing officer who knows their case and follows up. A sense that someone is actually listening.
The most effective providers are finding ways to integrate digital tools with relational service, ensuring that tenants can choose how they interact, without losing the personal connection that makes housing feel human.
Culture, Not Compliance
The most transformative thing a housing provider can do isn’t launching a new engagement app or holding more meetings. It’s shifting the internal culture.
When resident voice is treated as a risk mitigation strategy, it shows. Engagement becomes reactive, defensive, or process-heavy.
But when organisations embed tenant voice into the heart of decision-making from policy design to service planning to governance, it becomes part of the DNA. It shows up in recruitment (e.g. hiring people with lived experience), in reporting (e.g. including tenant insight alongside KPIs), and in accountability (e.g. board-level scrutiny informed by resident feedback).
Culture change isn’t about perfection it’s about intent. About being willing to listen, learn, and adapt. And recognising that power in housing doesn’t just lie in property ownership, it lies in relationships.
A Sector Evolving, A Standard Rising
2025 has brought new pressure, but also new possibility.
The days of one-directional communication are fading. Today’s residents want to be engaged with, not spoken at. They want to be part of shaping the places they live, not simply recipients of services.
That doesn’t mean every tenant will want to join a panel or attend a meeting. It means giving everyone the opportunity to contribute and respecting their choice if they don’t.
Because real engagement isn’t just about reaching out. It’s about responding meaningfully. About sharing power. And about recognising that silence doesn’t mean absence, sometimes, it simply means contentment.
Social housing is, at its core, a relationship business. Relationships built on mutual respect, transparency, and a willingness to listen.
In this new era of regulation, accountability, and rising expectations, the organisations that thrive will be the ones who understand this: tenants are not an obligation. They are the sector’s greatest resource.
And when you listen with intent, act with integrity, and leave space for silence, the foundations of trust become stronger than any brick wall.
Spotlight: Social Housing
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Contact Us
If you or your team ever need our support or expertise, please do not hesitate to reach out. I’m here to help.
Kim Parsons
Phone: 0121 798 0498
Mobile: 0770 015 7018
Email: kim@spirehouse.co.uk
