Group overview 2010 - Riverside

Tenant involvement
“I went round to look at one property which had
been offered to a young couple and I wasn’t
happy at all with the work the contractors
had done,” said Edna. “The plastering work
was unfinished and they had made a real
mess of one of the bedroom doors. I contacted
Riverside straight away, and they sent workmen
along the next day to sort it out.”
Edna is a tenant inspector in Carlisle, one of
21 across Riverside that we’ve trained to do
quality inspections. When tenants have
moved out, and before new tenants move
in, she passes a sharp eye over some of our
properties, as well as reporting on the condition
of communal areas and aspects such as
Riverside’s communications standards. Our
tenant inspectors give us valuable feedback
from the viewpoint of those who matter most
– our tenants.
“I know what is acceptable and what isn’t,”
said Edna. “I tell the staff at Riverside exactly
what I think, and they seem to appreciate that.”
Resident involvement has always been
important to us, and now more than ever.
Our growth enables us to support more than
85,000 people, but that also means that, to
get it right for them, we need to know what
they really think.
We try to speak to all our tenants at some
point during the year, through market research
and our Tenants’ Panel, which regularly gives
us their views on a range of issues.
But getting tenants’ views is just the first stage.
We’ve stepped up our Resident Involvement
programme, with additional support for our
national Tenants’ and Residents’ Federation
and the Tenants’ Resource Centre. Tenants
can get involved at all levels – from Board
membership or Tenant Federation membership
to local tenants’ and residents’ groups, and
Neighbourhood Services Panels.
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