Checklist: What is a Tenant Advisory Committee?
A Tenant Advisory Committee is an opportunity for open communication between tenants and housing providers in a formal setting. Tenants are able to speak freely in a safe space that has been created by the provider to share feedback and speak as a collective. Together, tenants and providers have a regular opportunity to co-create an environment where everyone is free to speak openly about their concerns and share what is working well.
A Tenant Advisory Committee is a property-level group and should be implemented at each shared living property. These committees do already exist at different properties under different names and may be referred to as a group, board, committee, etc.
Here is what one person with disability has found from being involved in a tenant advisory group:
A tenant advisory group can offer an effective way to communicate with the housing provider and other providers… In some cases, communication between everyone might not happen without having this type of group set up… it has the potential to sort out small things, before they become big things. It’s helpful for everyone to set their expectations at the beginning, so they know what the group can achieve.
We have created a downloadable checklist for how to set up a Tenant Advisory Committee including topic suggestions that can be raised at Committee Meetings.