Broadacres Housing Association has been named as the first organisation in the country to receive accreditation from TAROE, the national tenants’ representative organisation. The kitemark is a new service offered by TAROE, and is awarded to landlords that can demonstrate a strong commitment to empowering tenants across the following areas:

Governance 

• Service Delivery
• Resident Involvement Structures and Commitment
• Monitoring and Accountability
• Costs and efficiencies
• Diversity

The accreditation process involves assessment against a number of standards which have been identified as important by tenants themselves. It is based upon a mixture of desktop reviews, interviews and reality checks.

Commenting on the accreditation, Cora Carter MBE, Chair of TAROE, stated the following:

“There is a clear commitment to tenant empowerment across all parts of the organisation, which is backed up by the supportive feedback from tenants.

We identified an embedded corporate culture of tenant empowerment and we have no reservations in recognising this. Well done to all those involved!”

Gill Haigh, Director of Housing Services at Broadacres Housing Association also commented,

“We felt that the process has equipped Broadacres with a clear plan for continued improvement which was always our primary goal when we embarked upon the exercise. The recognition from being awarded the accreditation is the icing on the cake!”

Any organisation that is interested in finding out more about the TAROE ‘Empowering Tenants’ accreditation scheme should contact them directly on 01928 701001, or visit their website for further details at http://www.taroe.org/