Five Barnet tenants have gained official recognition allowing them to monitor and scrutinise housing estates and services after graduating from an innovative housing course.

The newly qualified tenants can now hold social landlord Barnet Homes to account if they find it has not met required standards of service in and around its 15,000 properties.

Barnet residents, Teshale Aberra, Christina Hamm, Mary Jimoh, Fauz Mutasa and Liesel Whitmore are all qualified to inspect:

  • estates and neighbourhoods
  • communal areas
  • empty properties
  • and repairs and maintenance work.

Christina Hamm from GrahamePark said: “I want to use my new qualification to help Barnet Homes and the residents to make their neighbourhoods a better, safer and cleaner place for everyone to live. The course was great and I found out a lot about Barnet Homes and all the things it already does for its residents.”

The five Barnet tenants were among 11 residents from across London who have completed the Resident Quality Inspector Course as part of a Level 2 certificate accredited by the Chartered Institute of Housing. The course was organised by Barnet Homes and residents of Network Stadium Housing and Brent Housing Partnership also attended.

Barnet Homes Chief Executive, Tracey Lees said: “I’d like to congratulate everyone for completing the course. I know they all put a great deal of time and effort into gaining these qualifications, so I’m delighted for them.

“This initiative is part of our drive to ensure our residents are at the heart of our business and have the power and voice to shape the services they receive. Who better to judgment our performance – and tell us how to improve – than our own tenants and leaseholders.

“Our new resident inspectors will be assisting our existing residents’ Performance Advisory Group and helping it to strengthen its monitoring and scrutiny role.”

Barnet Homes seeks to empower its residents in a number of ways including:

  • encouraging resident involvement at board level – we have three resident board directors.
  • through its residents’ Performance Advisory Group made up of ten residents who are able to scrutinise Barnet Homes’ services and make recommendations to the Board.
  • our Viewpoint panel where residents volunteer to be surveyed or join discussion groups on subjects of their choice from time to time. More than 3,000 Barnet Homes’ residents have signed up so far.

Barnet Homes will be running more resident inspector courses for residents as part of the Level 2 Chartered Institute of Housing certificate next year. Contact Jacqui Jones on 020 8359 4777 or email getinvolved@barnethomes.org