Housing Issues and Solutions: Tenant Participation in Decision-Making

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HOUSING ISSUES AND HOUSING SOLUTIONS

Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................. 3
ARNSTEIN’S LADDER OF PARTICIPATION.......................................................................................4
CURRENT FORMS OF TENANT PARTICIPATION..............................................................................5
POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF TENANT PARTICIPATION.................................................................6
POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGES OF TENANT PARTICIPATION............................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................. 8
REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
This essay revolves around the title, “The way that social landlords involve tenants in decision
making is an ‘empty ritual’ “. This essay explores the Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation and its
current scenario. Through this study, an enlightening on the current forms of tenant
participation has been given and the extent to which it is considered as an empty ritual has
been determined.
The essay also covers the potential advantages and disadvantages of tenant participation have
been studied in the context of the current practices of social landlords. The increase in the
participation level of tenants has resulted in a combined benefit of the tenants, social landlords
and the government has also been reviewed.

ARNSTEIN’S LADDER OF PARTICIPATION
Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation was developed by Sherry Arnstein in the year 1969. This
model describes the different levels of participation of citizens in the development decisions
(Arnstein, 2015). Though the author reflected the situations in the context of the United States,
the general participation of citizens regarding the decisions of the development of the
neighborhood is very low. The power to make important decisions is not yet equally distributed
among the citizens and thus, despite the education provided to the participants, the
willingness to participate tends to be less.
In context to the level of participation of tenant, it has been found that there is some
improvement in the relationship between the social landlords and the tenants (Caincross et al.,
2013). Though the government has played a vital role in engaging the tenants and the
landlords, the level of participation is still found to be very low. According to Arnstein, the
participation of citizens is required to be increased in the economic and social process.
Similarly, in the context of landlords, the participation of tenants in the decision making
regarding the housing has to be increased so that any decision implemented by the landlord
does not justify the sole purpose of his own benefits.
There are several issues in the tenant participation that are being faced and thus awareness for
the same is required to be created. Though the major decisions lie in the hands of the
landlords, consideration of the tenant’s perspective is also necessary. It has been found that
along with the landlords, the tenants themselves are not interested in being a part of the
decision making and are furthermore comfortable in facing the consequences of the decision
implemented by the landlord (Parsell et al, 2015). Therefore, just like the theory of Ladder of
Participation, it is vital for the government to structure the power of decision making in the
housing issues to ensure the participation of tenants in crucial decisions.

CURRENT FORMS OF TENANT PARTICIPATION
There are various forms of tenant participation which are being used lately for the
empowerment of the relationship between the tenants and the landlords. There are various
types of expenses which occur combined for the tenant and the landlord. Earlier, the landlords
were not willing to bear any expenses and the burden was transferred on the tenants (Priemus,
2012). With the education of the participation of tenants in the housing decisions, it has been
mandated by the government for the landlords have to bear the expenses along with the
tenants. Vice Versa, it also mandatory for the tenant to bear the burden of expenses and the
landlords aren’t supposed to pay it alone.
There have been various Housing Associations that have been formed which aims at building a
healthy relationship between the tenants and the social landlords. They also consider various
factors like the market situations, state policies, individual capacities etc. and work for the
welfare services for engaging tenants into decision making. The services provided by these
housing associations have a positive impact on the tenants and have been encouraging them to
be part of the decision making.
There are various tenants groups that are formed and are empowering individuals and the
community. Though the agreements between the tenant and the landlord are very specific and
clear, there are various areas of conflict that arise. Thus, the tenant groups enable the
individuals to inherit new skills and opportunities for the residents and together take decisions
for certain issues faced due to the landlords (Lang and Novy, 2014). It has been found that a
group decision’s implantation is more empowering than an individual and thus the advantages
have been taken by tenants groups.

POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES OF TENANT PARTICIPATION
There are various benefits of implementing and practicing tenant participation in decision
making by the landlords. When the tenants participate, it increases their control on own life
and they are empowered to have directly influenced decisions. Also, the tenants pay a certain
amount to the landlord. When they participate in the decision making, they receive services
that they want and thus gives rise to the value of money they pay to the landlord.
Tenants are required to be skilled and knowledgeable so that they can influence their decisions
to the landlord. Also, it might help the landlord to end up at a mutual decision and increase the
satisfaction level for both. Having informed tenants might also save costs for the landlord by
providing rational suggestions and carrying a mutual understanding between the two. It
improves the quality of the service and assists in the achievement of common goals (Pawson et
al., 2015).
The involvement of the tenant might also create goodwill for the landlord as it causes social
influence ion the society. Higher tenant participation encouraged by the landlord develops the
society by creating awareness for the same. Advantages of tenant involvement are showcased
and help the society to adopt the same and relish the benefits at a larger scope.
Implementation of tenant participation also helps the landlords in coping with the situations
when the services do not match as per the standards or expectations of the tenants(Donoghue
and Tranter, 2012). Talent participation also assists the landlords as well as the government to
take sustainable decisions so that the society can be benefited.
Landlords can also create a tenant participation strategy through which the landlords can
continuously improve their services and geta better exposure to the requirements of the
tenants. It also develops better links for the landlords and provides them with an opportunity
to serve others (Caincross et al., 2013). A high tenant involvement also helps the landlord in the
management of housing as fewer management problems could be created with higher tenant
satisfaction.

POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGES OF TENANT PARTICIPATION
Tenant participation, when applied practically, have various disadvantages. It has been found
that extreme participation of tenant in decision making leads to chaos in the management by
the landlord for the housing (Power et al., 2014). The concept of tenant participation suggests
that the tenants have similar requirements which are to be fulfilled by the landlords. However,
in the practical approach, the opinions and expectations of tenants are varied from one another
and as a result causes issues for the landlords. The housing associations and tenants group
generally cover the basic requirements but the specialized or customized requirements of the
tenants incur a high cost to the landlords and thus reduce their service quality.
Several issues are caused due to tenant participation when the clarity incapacity of the landlord
for delivering services is lacked. Tenant participation includes a face-to-case conversation.
Though there are several cases found when the capacity of the landlord is misunderstood by
the tenant and thus results in the deficiency of service delivery (Jacobs and Flanagan, 2013).
There are various methodological barriers which occur due to the engagement of tenants. It has
been found that the process of engagement results in a negative impact on the effectiveness of
the service opportunities of the landlords.
The disadvantages of tenant participation are not faced by landlords but also create issues for
the tenants. With increased tenant involvement, the landlords might dilute their negative
agendas and get it fulfilled by the tenants by providing them easy and comfortable services
(Hulse et al., 2010). In many cases, it has been found that tenant involvement is encouraged by
the landlords to visualize their societal responsibilities and to get consent for the same from
society.

CONCLUSION
Hereby it can be concluded that tenant participation is an essential element of the housing
issues. Through the application of Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation, the idea of empowering
tenants has been given a rise. There are various practices for tenant participation which have
been adopted by the social landlords. The increase in tenant participation not only leads to the
increased satisfaction level of the tenants but also has a positive effect on the efficiency of the
services provided by the tenants.
Later in the study, various advantages of implementing tenant engagement were highlighted.
Empowering the tenant involvement through the formation of housing associations, tenant
groups and the societal benefits of tenant engagement was seen. Several disadvantages of
tenant engagement were also seen. Therefore, it was found the way social landlords involved
tenants in the decision making is no longer an "empty ritual" and is practiced thoroughly by the
tenants and landlords and is also empowered and supported by the government.

REFERENCES
1. Arnstein, S.R., 2015. A ladder of citizen participation. The City Reader, 279.
2. Caincross, L., Clapham, D. and Goodlad, R., 2013. Housing management, consumers and
citizens. Routledge.
3. Donoghue, J. and Tranter, B., 2012. Social capital, interpersonal trust, and public
housing. Australian Social Work, 65(3), pp.413-430.
4. Hulse, K., Jacobs, K., Arthurson, K. and Spinney, A., 2010. Housing, public policy and
social inclusion.
5. Jacobs, K. and Flanagan, K., 2013. Public housing and the politics of stigma. Australian
Journal of Social Issues, 48(3), pp.319-337.
6. Lang, R. and Novy, A., 2014. Cooperative housing and social cohesion: The role of linking
social capital. European Planning Studies, 22(8), pp.1744-1764.
7. Parsell, C., Petersen, M. and Moutou, O., 2015. Single-site supportive housing: tenant
perspectives. Housing Studies, 30(8), pp.1189-1209.
8. Pawson, H., Milligan, V., Liu, E., Phibbs, P. and Rowley, S., 2015. Assessing management
costs and tenant outcomes in social housing: recommended methods and future
directions. AHURI. Sydney and Perth, University of NSW, University of Sydney, Curtin
University.
9. Power, A., Provan, B., Herden, E. and Serle, N., 2014. The impact of welfare reform on
social landlords and tenants. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
10. Priemus, H., 2012. Managing social housing. The sage handbook of housing studies,
pp.461-483.