Case Study One

Tenant Engagement

How Dutch Housing Associations’ Performance Agreements Inspired an English Housing Association to Strengthen Tenant Engagement.

We brought together a Dutch and an English housing association to share best practices for improving tenant engagement.  The Dutch housing association shared details of the performance agreements they must agree with local government and tenant associations under the Housing Law 2015.

These performance agreements outline specific objectives and goals the housing association must achieve in areas such as tenant satisfaction, affordability, sustainability, and community engagement. The agreements also establish a framework for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the housing association's performance against these objectives, with regular reports and reviews.

The English housing association saw potential for adopting a similar approach to strengthen its own tenant engagement process and help further improve communication and build stronger relationships with its tenants.

One Future offered bespoke guidance to the English housing association having regard to the practicalities of having such agreements as well as the Regulator of Social Housing's increasingly proactive approach to consumer regulation.

Case Study Two

Creating mixed communities

How a Dutch Housing Association’s Community Involvement Model Inspired an English Housing Association.

As part of our consultancy work, we recently brought together a Dutch and an English housing association to share best practices and ideas for promoting community involvement and creating mixed communities. During our discussions, the Dutch housing association shared a unique approach they had developed to create more cohesive and vibrant communities: inviting younger tenants to bid for properties with the agreement that they invest a number of hours per month on community projects, including helping older tenants.

The younger tenants  formed strong bonds with older tenants, who appreciate the help and support they receive. In addition, the community projects have helped to beautify the housing development and create a sense of pride and ownership among tenants.

One Future played an important role in helping the English housing association to pilot the Dutch housing association’s community involvement model within the regulatory and legal framework in England. We provided guidance on how to structure the tenancy agreements and community project requirements to ensure compliance with relevant regulations and legislation, such as the Equality Act and the Data Protection Act.