The 'Dispute Resolution Toolkit' was launched at the TPAS Annual Conference. The Toolkit was funded by the Housing Corporation, through the Innovation into Good Practice programme, and supported by the Housing Ombudsman.
The toolkit was developed using three 'live' case studies, involving three housing associations from different areas of the country that opened their doors to Compas@TPAS and allowed them access to ongoing disputes. More than 50 people were interviewed having been involved in the various disputes, including chief executives, police, housing officers and residents.
A Steering Group, including the Housing Corporation, Housing Ombudsman, Age Concern and landlord and resident representatives, commented on the toolkit, which includes thirteen 'tools' to help, assist and guide not only ongoing disputes, but also identifying potential disputes before they start.
At the launch, a number of actors from train4change did a live re-enactment of some of the issues raised in the toolkit.
Steve Douglas, Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation, said:
"The Housing Corporation recognises the value of effective complaints handling by registered social landlords. It is for this reason they require registered social landlords to be members of the Independent Housing Ombudsman Scheme.
"However, the Ombudsman can only deal with complaints that come from individual residents. There is no formal mechanism for groups of residents, such as residents' associations, to access the Ombudsman's service.
"This is why we are pleased that TPAS has developed this dispute resolution toolkit, which offers a range of techniques for preventing and tackling disputes between landlords and groups of their residents."
Rafael Runco, the Deputy Housing Ombudsman, fully supported the toolkit, saying:
"This toolkit is for anyone who may have to deal with conflict in social housing, either as a party to a dispute or as someone supporting the search for a solution. It has been designed to help people understand why, sometimes, there is conflict between providers and consumers of housing services - but it does not stop there. The toolkit, significantly, gives examples of disputes and how they can be resolved, and provides easy-to-follow tips on how best to manage the inevitable tensions in the sometimes fragile relationship between landlords and residents. Above all, the toolkit is a practical guide arranged with the purpose of emphasising dispute resolution at every step. I welcome the toolkit's realistic and workable advice when things go wrong."
Select Move, the new way for allocating affordable homes in Preston and South Ribble, went live in early August.
New Progress Housing Association has joined up with South Ribble Borough Council, Preston Council and four other local Housing Associations - Community Gateway Association, Eaves Brook Homes and Adactus Housing Association - to form the new partnership that will make the letting process simpler and fairer.
Now applicants can see exactly which housing association properties are available in Preston and South Ribble and select any homes that they are interested in being considered for. It will also mean a far wider choice of properties are available in a wider location.
All existing applicants on the waiting list will be transferred to the new scheme, so they will not need to reapply.
The move to the new system is in response to the Government's pledge to give social housing customers more choice and control over where they live. The Government intends that all local authorities will have adopted a choice-based lettings system by 2010.
Gary Melia, Head of Housing Operations at New Progress Housing Association, said:
"The move to the new allocations procedure is an extremely positive one for both our communities and our customers.
"By bringing together all the social landlords in the area, we can now offer the widest possible housing choices for tenants and applicants.
"It is great news for people who are looking to rent an affordable home."