Helping Tenants have a real say in rent and affordability decisions:

TPAS Cymru Standards for Tenant Engagement in Rent Setting & Affordability

Rent and affordability decisions have a real impact on people’s lives. That’s why it’s important that tenants have a meaningful opportunity to understand, influence and challenge the decisions that affect them.

TPAS Cymru has developed these Standards to support our members, Landlords and Tenants, to do just that.

The Standards set out practical principles and actions to help landlords understand what good tenant involvement in rent-setting and affordability decisions can look like. They have been shaped by Tenant insight and good practice from across the sector and reflect the expectations of the Welsh Government’s Rent and Service Charge Standard 2026–2036 and the Regulatory Framework for Welsh Registered Social Landlords.

But these Standards are not intended to be something that simply sits on a shelf. They are designed to encourage honest conversations between landlords and tenants about what is working, what could be better, and whether tenants are genuinely having an influence on decisions.

A tool for reflection, conversation and challenge.

The standards and self-assessment tool provides a way for landlords to look honestly at their current approach to tenant involvement in rent-setting and affordability.

It can help landlords to:

• recognise what they are already doing well;
• identify where tenant involvement could be stronger;
• consider whether Tenants have a genuine opportunity to influence decisions; and
• identify practical ways to improve.

We encourage landlords to consider completing the assessment with Tenants, rather than simply completing it themselves. A shared coproduced assessment can create a valuable opportunity for open discussion and help build a common understanding of what meaningful involvement looks like.

For Tenants, the assessment provides a useful way to understand what they should be able to expect from their landlord and a basis for asking questions, raising concerns and holding landlords to account.

For Boards, committees and decision-makers, it can provide assurance that tenant views have been properly heard, considered and reflected in the decisions that are ultimately made.

We encourage you to explore the full Standards

Whether you are a Tenant, Landlord, Board member or involved in making rent and affordability decisions, we hope these Standards will help you think about how tenant voices are heard and, importantly, how much influence they really have.

We encourage you to open and explore the full Standards and use them to start conversations about what meaningful tenant involvement could look like in your organisation.