A new Tenant Portal will launch before the end of this year. It will give you secure online access to important information such as your rent account balance and you’ll be able to access your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
More information about the launch date, registration and how to access the portal will be available in due course.
We believe tenants are at the heart of everything we do. Through regular meetings, focus groups, walkabouts and community events, you help us improve housing services, shape policies and build stronger neighbourhoods.
Getting involved as a tenant is a great way to make a real difference in your community.
It can help you boost your CV by learning new skills, improve your confidence and wellbeing, and give you the chance to meet new people.
We encourage tenants to participate independently, however our team is always on hand to support meetings and answer any questions you may have.
How can I get involved?
The Resident Scrutiny Group is a group of council tenants and leaseholders.
The scrutiny group is a non-political group that takes a close look at individual topics called 'reviews' and makes recommendations to us for improvements.
Each review involves attending meetings to research our policies and procedures, and to hear directly from staff through presentations and meetings. You’ll then get the opportunity to put together recommendations to improve the service based on what you’ve found.
The Dover District Tenants' Consultative Group (DDTCG) is a group of council tenants and leaseholders.
They are a non-political group who represent the views and interests of tenants and leaseholders across the district. They are independent, however they work closely with us as a consultative body to resolve issues and recommend improvements to the service.
Focus groups are small groups of tenants who meet with housing staff for a short series of sessions to help achieve a specific outcome or goal.
Focus groups:
help make a difference and improve the housing service
build connections by allowing you to get to know us better
are an easy commitment as you only need to commit to a short number of sessions
boost your CV as you'll use and prove your skills in listening, finding problems and coming up with solutions.
Tenants have already played a vital role in our previous focus groups.
In the Resident Engagement Strategy Focus Group, tenants helped shape our new engagement strategy by exploring best practice, identifying barriers to involvement and advising on how we could improve the service. All actions were agreed with tenants and the final strategy went to Cabinet for approval.
In the Repairs Focus Group, tenants had their say on the details of the updated repairs contract and decided what should be included and why. They also were on the procurement panel, scoring the applicants and helping decide the outcome.
Through regular surveys, tenants have helped us understand what’s working, what needs improving and where we should focus our efforts.
We’ve carried out surveys on:
tenant satisfaction (our annual tenant survey)
local housing need
transactional surveys (including lettings and antisocial behaviour)
estate conditions
These surveys have directly influenced:
updates to the Tenancy Agreement
improvements to the repairs contract
development of new policies (for example tenancy strategy, anti-social behaviour, domestic abuse)
We’ve also used survey results to create action plans, compare our performance with other councils, and ensure your voice is reflected in everything we do.
We regularly run consultations to make sure our housing service reflects the needs and priorities of our tenants.
Whether we’re planning improvements, updating policies or exploring new ways of working, your feedback helps shape the decisions that affect your home and community.
Get involved in our current consultations and help us build better housing services for everyone.
Estate walkabouts are regular visits to your area where we meet with tenants to review the condition of the estate, identify any issues and discuss potential improvements.
Walkabouts are community events designed to build our relationships with tenants, communities, councillors and contractors, providing an opportunity to see how our estates can be improved.
We’re inviting our tenants to become ‘Armchair Assistants’ to help shape the services we provide.
As an Armchair Assistant, you’ll complete short surveys to share your thoughts on what’s working well and where we can improve. Your feedback will play an important role in helping us deliver better services for everyone.
If you’d like to take part, sign up using the form below.
Below you will find a range of useful, accessible resources to help you learn more about tenant engagement and involvement.
TPAS is England’s leading tenant engagement organisation and provides a wide range of information, training, good practice guides and resources for residents.
explains what resident-led scrutiny is and why it is important
shows how tenants and leaseholders can independently review housing services and make recommendations for improvement
provides practical advice, tools and examples to support effective scrutiny
demonstrates how resident involvement can lead to better services and stronger accountability.
This explains the requirements of social landlords, such as the council, must meet to ensure tenants can influence decisions and hold their landlord to account.
