The petition of residents of the Loughborough Estate in Brixton,
Declares that the right to manage for residents of social housing is important and that tenant management organisations often deliver high quality services, but the Loughborough Estate is under the long-term control of a tenant management organisation which has lost its democratic mandate, and fails to deliver the essential services in respect of which it receives over £3 million per year of funds from the London Borough of Lambeth; and further declares that the current right to manage legislation is not fit for purpose, lacks essential safeguards, and enables rogue entities to retain control of council housing without democratic mandate and oversight.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons considers this issue, and urges the Government to: (i) produce regulations amending the Housing (Right to Manage) (England) Regulations 2012, introducing essential changes to safeguard the democratic integrity of tenant management organisations; and (ii) publish updated guidance in relation to the application of any such regulations, including a new Modular Management Agreement.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Helen Hayes, Official Report, 8 July 2026; Vol. 789, c. 422.]
[P003218]
Observations from the Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook):
The Government believe that social housing residents should have a strong voice in the management of their homes and communities. Tenant management organisations can play an important role in achieving this by enabling residents to take greater control of their housing services. Many TMOs deliver valuable services and achieve positive outcomes for residents.
The Government note the concerns raised by residents of the Loughborough estate. Organisations managing housing services on residents’ behalf should provide a good service. Responsibility for the oversight of a TMO rests with the relevant local authority that has entered into a management agreement with the TMO. The landlord remains accountable to the Regulator of Social Housing and must ensure the consumer standards are met.
The current modular management agreement includes provisions for the landlord to intervene where requirements are not being met, issuing supervision or breach notices. Once a notice is issued, if the problem is not remedied within a certain period of time, the functions will be removed from the TMO’s responsibility and undertaken by the landlord.
The MMA also provides that if the council and TMO cannot resolve their dispute, they can refer the dispute to arbitration under the Arbitration Act 1996, giving notice in writing to the other party.
The Government have carried out a review of the right to manage framework. The review gathered evidence from residents, landlords, TMOs and representative organisations on how resident control can be strengthened while ensuring appropriate safeguards and oversight. This work included consideration of governance arrangements, accountability mechanisms and the operation of management agreements.
Following the conclusion of this review, the Government have been considering reforms to the right to manage framework to strengthen residents’ rights, improve accountability, and modernise the framework governing resident management of social housing. Areas for exploration include strong enforcement action in the event of serious mismanagement where residents’ safety is put at risk. The Government will continue to engage with residents, landlords and representative bodies and will provide further detail on reforms in due course.