HARLOW Council has started a programme of carrying out tenancy audits of council homes from this week.

The tenancy audit is a survey which will be carried out as part of an inspection of council homes across the town. The audit will help to check that the council is providing the right kind of services to its tenants and that the details its hold about households is up to date and accurate. The audit will also enable council staff to provide information on the support available to those who need it. The audits will be carried out by council housing staff.

Tenancy audits can also help to tackle breaches of tenancy and tenancy fraud, as well as identify safeguarding concerns and any other issues before they get worse.  It will ensure tenants are fulfilling their obligations in the tenancy agreement such as keeping gardens tidy and maintained, the property clean and looked after and not breaching tenancy requirements.

In addition, tenants will also be asked about taking part in resident engagement initiatives such as joining one of the council’s Housing Standards Resident Panels, which will enable them to have a say in how housing services are provided by the council.

Tenancy audits are different to the specialist stock conditions surveys which have also started. The stock condition survey is solely about the condition of the inside and outside of the home relating to kitchens, bathrooms, central heating systems, roofs, walls and other external structures.

Councillor David Carter, deputy leader and cabinet portfolio holder for housing, said:

“The tenancy audits are a very important initiative for us and show how serious we are about delivering for our tenants. Our priority to fix council housing isn’t just about repairs and improvements; it ties in with our other priority to improve services, and these tenancy audit inspections are about improving the future planning of housing services that will suit the needs of our tenants.

“Of course, they will also ensure that tenants are complying with the conditions of their tenancy agreement. But this is all aimed at getting to know our tenants and their circumstances better, making sure we are providing the best possible services for our tenants and that, where required, they are receiving all the support they need and are entitled to.

“It’s also a great opportunity for us to find more tenant representatives to join our standards panels – these groups are another highly important aspect of our housing service, as they hold us to account and give both tenants and leaseholders a say in how things are done and how they could be improved.”