Being a Social Landlord in the 21st Century: Insights from tenant and international experience

This report is the final output of a research project entitled Being a Social Landlord in the 21st Century. This project has focussed on the role of social landlords in meeting the housing needs of persons with a disability. This research was undertaken to address two key questions:
First, what roles and responsibilities should we expect of social landlords that intend to provide for the housing and quality of life needs of tenants living with disability? In particular, this research investigates how these roles and responsibilities differ from those of traditional landlords and other social landlords. Second, how can social housing be provided to persons living with disability in ways that: maximise independence, enhance quality of life, minimise the level of discrimination or prejudice experienced, and assist in developing life skills that can be transferred to other dimensions of life?
In considering these issues, the report draws together the findings of a comprehensive literature review; important insights from tenants living with a disability, and perspectives from stakeholders in the social housing and disability sectors.

The interview findings in this research show that 'good' social landlords are those that enable tenants living with disability to have peace and comfort, security of tenure, safety, and independence in their housing. Importantly, this means having the 'right' housing – where tenants can feel at home. In achieving this, participants indicated that they value social landlords who take a person-centred approach to housing provision, addressing their specific needs and housing preferences. Establishing best-practice pathways for meeting these values was of great importance to those with a disability. The workshop discussions with stakeholders reaffirmed many tenants‘ perspectives on what makes a good social landlord, highlighting that overall, the key role of socially-minded landlords is to enable tenants living with disability to have a positive lifestyle in their housing.

We would argue from this research that a social landlord committed to best practice in their tenancy management would place the experience and opinions of residents at the centre of their operational philosophy. The available evidence suggests that many of the organisations included in this study had not yet evolved their organisational thinking to this stage. In many ways, this is about putting the 'social' back into social housing.Ultimately, the research notes that there are a range of policy implications that need to be addressed at a system-wide level in terms of the disability, housing and social inclusion nexus. Paramount amongst these is the underrecognition of the roles of social landlords in enabling people living with disability to 'live well'. In achieving greater recognition, this sector must also be adequately resourced by governments. Additionally, social landlords need flexibility to use funding to maximise the personal impact and the supply of dwellings.