Tenant Services Authority

The Tenant Services Authority (TSA) (external link) and the Homes and Communities Agency (external link) were launched on 1 December 2008. The establishment of these agencies marks a significant change within the sector and will benefit all those involved with housing and regeneration from the tenant through to the largest commercial developer.

The TSA is the new regulator for social housing, dedicated to raising the standard of housing services by putting tenants first. Taking over the Housing Corporation's responsibility for regulating housing associations and social landlords, the TSA will set high standards of management across these areas and, later, local authority social homes.

The TSA aims to:

champion tenant's needs and aspirations from housing
promote choice for tenants and providers
challenge providers to meet or exceed standards
shape standards, utilizing informal and formal consultations
adopt a co-regulatory and proportionate approach
be independent and cross-domain
work to create more choice about the way housing is managed and the landlords who provide it

The TSA is doing this by:

putting tenants at the centre, and ensuring that landlords do the same
acting fairly, independently and decisively
encouraging excellence and focusing on real performance - both of the landlords it works with and the people it employs

In this way the TSA will be a catalyst for change, one which will improve the quality of life for millions of social tenants.

The Chair of the TSA is Anthony Mayer, former Chief Executive of the Greater London Authority. The Chief Executive is Peter Marsh, formerly Deputy Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation.

The TSA has been consulting tenants and social landlords on new performance standards which are due to come into effect in April 2010.

Please visit the TSA website for more information.

Latest publications

On 10 November 2009 Housing Minister John Healey announced that for the first time all 8 million tenants in social housing will have the right to clear standards of service from their landlord. Mr Healey said that from 1 April next year, tenants in council or housing association homes will have these standards protected by a tough, responsive regulator, the Tenant Services Authority.

Further information can be found in News Release: John Healey: New standards will improve the quality of life for public tenants.

Communities and Local Government also published Directions to the Tenant Services Authority: Summary of reponseses and the Government Response which contains summary and detailed responses and the Government's response for the consultation Directions to the Tenant Services Authority: Consultation paper.