Ways you can get involved as a council tenant

Sign up to have your say on housing decisions and policies that affect you.

There are many ways to have your say - from joining a tenant panel to taking part in one-off events or surveys. 

Resident Engagement Panel

A formal panel where tenants and leaseholders give direct feedback, influence decision-making and help shape housing policies.

  • Members are selected through an application process to make sure the group includes people from different backgrounds, areas and experiences.
  • The panel meets every three months.
  • Each meeting lasts about two hours.
  • Before each meeting, you'll need to spend around one hour reviewing documents and reports.
  • You'll look at our performance, share your views, challenge what isn't working and help develop improvements.
  • This panel plays a big role in holding us to account and feeds into important housing decisions.

Independent Living Forum

A platform for tenants living in independent living schemes to speak about what matters to them.

  • Forum representatives attend meetings on behalf of residents in their specific scheme, sharing collective feedback.
  • The group focuses on wider service issues (not individual complaints) to improve quality of life for older and more vulnerable tenants.
  • Meetings are every three months and last about two hours.
  • Before each meeting, you'll need to read through background documents (approximately one hour prep).
  • You'll also need to speak to fellow residents in your scheme, get their views and share them during the meeting.

Disability Forum

A dedicated space for tenants and leaseholders with disabilities to help shape a more inclusive housing service.

  • Members share lived experiences, highlight barriers and suggest ways to improve accessibility.
  • The forum also advises us on the impact of our policies and helps make sure all services are inclusive.
  • Meetings happen every three months and last around two hours.
  • You're encouraged to speak with other disabled tenants to bring collective feedback.
  • Your insight helps make sure our services work for everyone.

Communications Group

A new group focused on improving how we communicate with tenants.

  • You'll help review and shape the design and content of our tenant newsletters.
  • You'll be involved in developing the new Tenant Handbook, due this year (2025).
  • You'll also help review other written communication to make sure it's all clear, accessible and useful.
  • Meetings are held when they're needed, with options to give feedback online or in person.
  • The group is open to all tenants who want to help us get our messages right.

Tenant newsletters

Stay informed about housing service updates, events and opportunities to get involved. Our newsletters are posted to every household in May and October each year. We also upload copies here once they've been sent out.

Annual tenant survey

Every year, you'll be invited to complete our Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey, which helps us understand what's working and what needs to improve.

  • The questions are set by the Regulator of Social Housing, and your answers help measure how well we're doing.
  • Your feedback helps us take real action - from improving repairs to making communication clearer.
  • We share what we've heard and what we're doing about it through 'You Said, We Did reports'.

Find out more about tenant satisfaction measures

Recent tenant survey reports

The next Tenant Survey will be sent out in summer 2025.

Community listening days

We're bringing the conversation to you. 

Each year, we host Community listening days in neighbourhoods across the district. These combine large-scale door knocks with local drop-ins, giving you a chance to talk to housing teams face-to-face. You can also play some games, enter competitions and take home freebies.

We work alongside local partners and community groups to hear what matters to you, build stronger relationships and tackle local concerns.

One-off surveys and consultations

We regularly run quick surveys, focus groups and consultations to get your input on specific policies, service changes or local issues.

Ready to get involved?

However much or little time you have, there's a way to get involved that works for you. Your voice matters and helps us build better, safer and fairer housing services for everyone.

To sign up, email us at getinvolved@canterbury.gov.uk or call us on 07597 528 428 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).