All tenants of affordable housing should be given the same level of protection regardless of their landlord and should have greater powers in the management and regulation of their housing, according to the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH).

The professional body for housing, along with others in the sector, is calling for changes to the Housing and Regeneration Bill in order to ensure that the new social housing regulator engages and empowers tenants as well as working in their interests.

CIH and the Local Government Association (LGA), supported by the National Federation of ALMOs (NFA), the National Housing Federation, and the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS), are promoting an amendment that will ensure that all social housing tenants living in the same street or block of flats have their rights and services protected by the regulator, regardless of who their landlord is. The organisations have concerns about proposals to bring local authority tenants under the Tenant Services Authority in future legislation, rather than being included at the outset. This could lead to a two-tier regulatory system where local authority tenants have less choice and protection than housing association tenants.

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CIH is also supporting amendments which seek to give tenants greater rights in decisions about the management of their housing services and to engage with the regulator and the activities it undertakes on their behalf. CIH has been working with a number of other organisations, including the National Consumer Council, TPAS and the NFA, to develop and support these tenant-focused amendments.

Sarah Webb, CIH Chief Executive, said: "The Housing Minister has committed to find more ways to increase 'tenant voice' in the social housing sector because she knows it drives up standards. The Housing and Regeneration Bill can add meaningful opportunities for the tenant voice to be heard, by requiring the regulator to listen and be accountable to tenants as well as to promote tenant choice."

(CD/JM)