Tenant Participation

A Guide to Tenant Participation (TP)

Your Right to be Consulted

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 gives tenants legal rights in relation to participation and places a duty on local authorities and registered social landlords to consult with tenants on a range of housing issues.

Housing, Customer and Building Services (HCBS) is the landlord for West Lothian Council's housing stock and has the responsibility to communicate, consult and take on board the views and opinions of tenants. These will be used to influence decisions and shape services to meet the needs of tenants. 

Tenants have the right to be consulted on:

• Changes to rent and service charges
• Housing management, repairs and maintenance policies, standards of service in relation to housing.
• Any proposal to change the landlord.
• The Tenant and Customer Participation Strategy.

Click here to access a Tenants guide to the Housing Scotland Act [398.93KB].

Tenant and Customer Participation Strategy 2022 - 2027

The tenant and customer participation and strategy [598.62KB] sets out what the council plans to do, in cooperation with council tenants and service users, working together towards a common aim of better housing and housing-related services.

The Tenant Participation (TP) Toolkit

This toolkit has been created to help you fully understand the fantastic work you can take part in if you become involved in tenant participation.

• How to take part in TP [411.97KB]
• Tenant Participation Animated Video
• Tenant & Customer Participation Strategy Summary [77.24KB]
• Access the Tenant's Handbook
• A guide to making an expenses claim [133.15KB] for costs occurred relating to tenant participation.
• Tenant Participation expenses online form
• How to start a tenant and residents' group [66.4KB]
• Tenants News
• Customer Experience Team
• You can also find helpful hints and tips on Tenant Participation through our Facebook page. Please use your smart phone or tablet to scan the QR code below or alternatively click here to request to join our Facebook page.

Interested Tenant Register

The Interested Tenant Register is a list of tenants who are have said they are interested in housing issues and have asked to be consulted on council housing matters.

We may send you a survey or invite you to participate in group discussions or attend events. However, you're not under any obligation to do so. You're free to pick and choose what interests you. We'll contact you in the way that best suits you.

If you would like to be added to the list, please feel free to contact the Customer Participation Officers for more information by completing the Taking Part online form.

Alternatively, you can email us at TP@westlothian.gov.uk. We are also available on 01506 281885/282967, Monday to Friday.

Tenants Environmental Projects (Community Choices)

Can you think of a communal area that could do with a bit of a facelift? We have an annual budget where tenants can put forward their ideas that would benefit tenants in the area. To be considered, applications must fulfil the following criteria:

Projects must:

• be on land owned by Housing, Customer and Building Services,
• be on communal/shared areas which will improve the environment and/or security for tenants in the area,
• must have agreement of other council services or external agencies where maintenance is or wile their responsibility at the end of a project.

Projects must NOT:

• be used to fund work in individual homes,
• require ongoing maintenance by Housing, Customer and Building Services,
• must not include individual garden space.

If you have an idea, please complete the Tenants Environmental Projects application form and we will get back in touch.

Scottish Housing Regulator for Tenants and Service Users

The Scottish Housing Regulator has published 'How We Regulate: A guide for tenants and service users'. The guide has been written to help tenants, homeless people and other service users find out more about the work of the Regulator and also explains how they can go about raising concerns about their landlord.

• If you are a tenant and are aware of a significant performance failure you should:
• raise the issue with your landlord
• give them a reasonable time to respond
• give them a reasonable time to fix the failure.

If your landlord does not deal with the failure, or it agrees to do something and nothing happens, then you can report this to the Scottish Housing Regulator.  For more information please see the  Complaints and Significant Performance Failures leaflet [48.67KB]   published by the regulator.