An Analysis of Tenant Participation and Community Development

This essay delves into the concept of tenant participation within housing communities, emphasizing its importance in decision-making processes and community development. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of tenant involvement, highlighting how it can improve housing standards and address tenant grievances. The essay discusses Arnstein's Ladder of Participation, a framework for understanding different levels of citizen engagement, and applies it to the context of tenant participation. It explores how tenants can influence decisions, from providing feedback to actively participating in policy planning, and analyzes the impact of this involvement on property owners, community relations, and the overall efficiency of housing management. The essay also addresses potential drawbacks, such as financial constraints and collaboration challenges, offering a comprehensive overview of tenant participation's role in shaping housing communities.

Running head: TENANT’S PARTICIPATION
Tenant’s Participation
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Introduction
Tenant’s participation is the involvement of tenants and property owners to share
information related to the property. The aim of the tenants is to improve the failing standard
of a house and hope to improve it by rendering proper service. The effectiveness with which
decisions are made about the housing complex provides an opportunity for the tenants to give
better feedback (Suszyńska 2015). In most countries like Scotland, it is a legal requirement
for tenants to participate in the welfare of the housing complex to which they belong. The
essay describes the involvement of tenants and the potential advantages and disadvantages
that may be incurred due to such involvement. Apart from this, the essay discusses the theory
of Arnstein's Ladder of Participation and the manner in which it can be related to the tenants.
Discussion
Arnstein (2015) stated that tenant participation involves a process by which the
members of an organisation or community join to be involved with certain influential
decisions of a society. The main reason for concern is the improvement and development of
activities that affect the livelihood of the people. It is involved in describing the actions taken
by the members that influence the livelihood of the society and the community to which they
belong. Arnstein’s proposed concept of a ladder of citizen participation aims to discuss the
typology of engagement dealing with the civic nature of a society. It takes the form of rungs
in a ladder (Hatch 2016). Each rung presented in the ladder has significant representation that
denotes the control of citizens in a cognitive manner. This helps to come up with a policy and
establish a cognitive process within the organisation.
Arnstein had insisted on the possibility of participation of the tenants as devoid.
According to Manzi and Simpson (2017), it can be a discouraging process of incapacitation,
as it does not have the conviction of redistribution within the community. The non-

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participation on the part of the tenants is ranked that helps it to identify the involvement of
each participant. For example, the opening two ranks of the non-participation involve the
manipulation and therapy. This has been considered as a ring that involves the propaganda
that can be used in manipulating the public before seeking any type of support from them
(August 2016). The therapy rung is a representative of a notion that provides the fact that the
public does not hold any ability to make decisions about a particular household community.
The tokenism part consists of informing, consultation and placation of the tenants. As
stated by Pawson (2015) the information received from the officials from the viewpoint of the
public are intercepted by the citizens with no proper feedback and the method of negotiation.
Consultation is considered as the provision of details by means of surveys, hearing and
meeting. It has been seen that the citizens are exposed that can influence committees and
boards. This can be done by the use of placation despite the fact that the decisions can be
overruled if the opinions provided by the tenants are unfavourable to the community. The
final stage of the ladder involves the citizens and the power holders. They get involved in the
agreement, that involves the sharing of decision-making information and includes joint policy
planning that considers the involvement of the boards as well as planning committees.
In the words of Foroughi (2017), the final stage consists of the delegation powers of
the citizens. Most of the times, scholars have argued with the fact that tenant participation is a
developed activity of an organisation. The development process has associated itself closely
with the growth of the organisation and the expansion of its operations in the global market.
There have results that have shown that the relation and understanding that exists between the
citizens and the power holders are normally mutual and it involves agreeing on a systematic
method that helps organisations and societies for improving its activities related to
production. According to Thurber and Fraser (2016), the reduction of tensions among the
tenants has been reduced due to the systematic approach to tenant participation. A common

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conflict of interest such as management of resources can be reduced if the ladder is followed
in a systematic manner.
The relationship between a tenant and property owner need to originate from the
participation of tenants regarding the housing decision-making involved with the property
owner. Hurlbert and Gupta (2015) observed that the involvement of such process with the
residents could help the community to progress. This can be possible with the creation of new
ideas and implementing them during the time of need. The mutual agreement between the
tenants and the property owner can help in the proper development of the community in
which they are working. The involvement with the organisation tends to have a massive
improvement in the services that are offered in the organisation or society. The property
owners take into consideration the people that require immediate attention. These people are
managed to ensure that the tenants find comfort in the housing premises. It has been stated
that interacting with the property owners can help the tenants to understand the level of
comfort and grievances (Carpentier 2016).
It is seen that the attitudes of the tenants towards the property holder are rude.
However, it can be changed with the proper implementation and improvement of the services
that are rendered to the society. The effectiveness of the services can help in changing the
attitudes of the tenants. The property owners and tenants manage to reduce tensions and
conflicts that are common in these types of communities. Kotus and Sowada (2017) stated
that with the involvement of tenants, property owners could agree with the development of
estates within the premises. The contracts that are associated with the setting up of the local
standards are familiar to the property owners and as a result, local standards can be
maintained within the housing premises. The regulations include waste disposal that can be
implemented within the society that can help to keep the society clean.

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However, consultation needs to be made with the residents before an action has been
implemented. The approval of each property owner is taken and any changes made in the
implementation plan need to be informed to the makers of the plans. According to McNeill
(2016), the adoption of such a method can help in reducing the chances of having to get
negative feedback from both the parties. Organisational and societal efficiency is performed
through the promotion of remedial works that is done within the society. It has also been seen
that the property owners are capable of acting on the complaints that have been rendered as
services to the tenants. Most of the times complaints are made that involve massive decisions
needed to be taken for the society. One such complaint includes the high cost of repairs that
exist within the housing societies. This can reduce the chances of residents leaving one
housing society for another.
Transfer of information can help in improving the consultation as well as solve
problems related to nuisance in the society. The problems can be kept at bay by recruiting
volunteer residents. These people provide information regarding the occurrences and the
actions that are involved in the society. Feedbacks from the residents in the housing complex
are collected so that the tenants can understand the problems that the property owners are
facing within the complex. The information can be helpful to the property owners as new
developments can take place with the help of the feedback provided by the tenants (Hatch
2016). Property owners have the tendency to develop capacity building responses that can
help in measuring the strengths and weakness of the tenants and the bond they have with one
another. Volunteers that are involved with the community are provided with the feedback
forms and are asked to undertake the survey to assess the needs and comforts of the property
owners. These ideas help in indulging in proper recommendations for the facilities.
Despite the advantages, tenant participation may have certain drawbacks that hamper
their involvement in the society. Landlords need to consider the requests made by the tenants

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so that any financial constraints can be mitigated but at a heavy cost such as the extra cost of
repairs. Apart from this, the residents may be vulnerable due to the collaboration that exists
between the tenants and property owners. The activities related to the development of the
household can be jeopardised with the excess collaboration between them.
Conclusion
It can be concluded that participation of the tenants in the decision-making activities
of a society has been the most influential factor relating to the building up of a community.
Property owners get to address the wishes of the tenants so that the involvement of the
tenants is not limited. Projects can be regenerated with the ideas proposed by the tenants.
Estate of the property owners needs to be managed properly so that chances of development
exist and the society can be formed based on the collaboration between the tenants, residents
as well as the property owners.

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Reference
Arnstein, S.R., 2015. A ladder of citizen participation. The City Reader, p.279.
August, M., 2016. “It's all about power and you have none:” The marginalization of tenant
resistance to mixed-income social housing redevelopment. Cities, 57, pp.25-32.
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Foroughi, B., 2017. Reading Between the Lines of Participation: Tenant Participation and
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Hatch, M.E., 2016. Statutory Protection for Renters: Classification of State Landlord–Tenant
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Hurlbert, M. and Gupta, J., 2015. The split ladder of participation: a diagnostic, strategic, and
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