Consultation & Involvement

Tenant Management Organisations

About Tenant Management

What are tenant management organisations?
TMOs may take different forms but they all have to be incorporated, either as an Industrial and Provident Society or as a company. They have a committee or board, elected by members, that oversees the management of the estate. People with specialist skills may also be co-opted onto the board to offer particular knowledge or experience. TMOs usually employ their own staff to carry out the functions taken over from the council. There are currently c. 25 TMOs in Islington, which range in size from just one block to large estates of over 700 homes.

What management functions can TMOs take on?
TMOs can choose how much or how little responsibility they wish to take over from the council. Some TMOs decide to take on most of the day-to-day housing management of their area, whilst others concentrate on a few specific functions. TMOs can take over only a few responsibilities at first and increase them later, once they are more experienced and established.

The following are examples of council functions that TMOs may take over:

• Day-to-day repairs and maintenance
• Cleaning and caretaking
• Grounds maintenance
• Collecting rents and chasing arrears
• Dealing with breaches of tenancy and neighbour disputes

How are TMOs set up?
Setting up a TMO generally takes two to three years and follows a process set out in the Right to Manage regulations. However, central government is seeking to introduce initiatives to speed up this process. An independent consultant is usually engaged to provide residents with all the advice and training they need and this is funded with money provided by both central government and the local authority. A list of approved agencies that can provide advice and training for resident groups interested in setting up a TMO is available from Homes for Islington's Tenant Management Team who can also provide advice and assistance to residents in selecting a suitable agency.

The respective responsibilities delegated to the TMO and retained by the council are negotiated and set out in a management agreement. The TMO also negotiates an allowance from the council to cover the cost of the delegated housing management responsibilities. This is based on the amount of money that the council would spend on carrying out the same functions.

At the final stage of development, the TMO is independently assessed as to its competence to take on the proposed housing management functions and a ballot is held to find out whether residents are in favour of the TMO proceeding to take on the agreed functions. A majority of secure tenants have to be in favour for the TMO to take over.

Working relationship between established TMOs and Homes for Islington
Once the TMO becomes operational it assumes responsibility, as the council's managing agent, for those housing management functions that have been delegated to it under the terms of the Management Agreement. The TMO, through its Management Committee, also acts as a representative body for residents on the estate and as the council's agent for consultation. As the council, through Homes for Islington, still retains responsibility for any housing functions not specifically delegated to the TMO, it is important that both parties work together in partnership in order to provide a seamless service to residents on the estate.

Much of the day-to-day contact between the TMO and the council will involve regular liaison between local Homes for Islington staff, based at the area housing office, and the TMO Manager. However, the TMO will also have working relationships with numerous centrally based Homes for Islington services and other managing agents or contractors engaged by the council. Homes for Islington's Tenant Management Team will also be in regular contact with the TMO. This specialist, centrally based unit provides advice, support and guidance to TMOs and area housing staff, leads on the negotiation (or renegotiation) of TMO management agreements, and monitors TMO performance.

The council also regularly consults with TMOs and TMCs via the Tenant Management Forum.

For contact details of existing TMOs in the Islington region, please see TMO offices.

Further information
For those interested in looking more closely at the TMO option, further advice and information is available from Homes for Islington's Tenant Management Team or by visiting:

Right to Manage

Funding for Tenant Empowerment

List of approved agencies

National Federation of TMOs

Federation of Islington TMOs