Tenant Participation
Registered Tenants Organisations
South Ayrshire Council operates a Register of Tenants Organisations.
The concept of Registered Tenants Organisations, (RTOs), comes from the Housing
(Scotland) Act 2001. The aim is to give tenants associations a recognised role in
the tenant participation process.
What is a Registered Tenants Organisation?
An RTO must meet certain criteria set out by South Ayrshire Council. These are detailed
in separate guidance notes.
Basically an RTO is one which is representative of the tenants in its area. It must
have procedures in place to ensure that all tenants can take part and have a say
on issues of concern to them.
Why Should Tenants Groups Register?
The Scottish Government has legislated that we must make provision for obtaining
and taking account of the views of RTOs on matters on which we make proposals.
This means we must have mechanisms in place to allow tenants to have a say on any
changes we plan and make.
In addition to this there are rules about consulting with RTOs. We must inform and
listen to their views on any proposals we make about:
- Policy and standard of service on housing management, repairs or maintenance.
- Our tenant participation strategy
- Anything that would result in a change of landlord
It is in the interests of any group representing tenants to register. They will
have the backing of the legislation and the Tenant Participation Strategy to ensure
that the Council, as the landlord, consults with them and takes account of the views
of tenants in their area properly.
The Register
The Register is publicly available. Anyone wishing to view the register should contact
the Policy and Strategy section (details below) to have a printed version sent to
them.
Download the the register
Tenants groups should be aware that in registering, their contact details will be
available to anyone who wishes to contact them for any reason.
How Can Groups Register?
Groups must fill out a registration form and send
it back to us along with additional supporting information.
A member of the Policy and Strategy team will advise and support any groups who
wish to register.
There are quarterly registration dates at which all groups who have applied in that
quarter will be registered or refused.
The Registration dates are
- 1st March
- 1st June
- 1st September
- 1st December
RTOs must re-register every 3 years. RTOs will be given 3 months notice before their
registration runs out to allow them time to re-register.
Refusal
The Policy and Strategy section will support groups who have been refused to reapply
and meet registration criteria. If a group disagrees with the reason that they have
been refused they have the right to appeal.
More Information
Guidance notes are available on becoming an RTO. They contain information on criteria
a group must meet and the information they must provide to us. They also include
information on the appeals procedure and a registration form.
Contact the Policy and Strategy Section at:
Regeneration and Housing
Newton House
30 Green Street Lane
Ayr, KA8 8BH
01292 612995