TMOs & CO-OPs
TMOs and co-ops give residents greater say in how their homes and communities are managed.
What is a Social Housing Co-operative (Co-op)?
A social housing co-operative is a community-led housing organisation where residents are members and have a democratic say in how the organisation is run. According to the Confederation for Cooperative Housing, a co-operative or mutual housing scheme:
- Has a community membership made up of residents.
- Gives that membership democratic control over the organisation through general meetings.
- Types of community-controlled housing organisations include:
- Organisations that own residential properties: e.g. social housing co-ops, Community Land Trusts (CLTs), and community-owned housing associations.
- Organisations that lease residential properties: e.g. short-life housing co-operatives with short-term leases let to members.
- Organisations that manage properties for a council or housing association: e.g. Tenant Management Organisations (TMOs) and Housing Association Management Co-ops (HAMCs).
The Right to Transfer allows council tenants to form a community-owned housing association and take ownership of their homes from the council. Housing association tenants currently do not have this right.
What is a Tenant Management Organisation (TMO)?
A Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) is a way for council tenants and leaseholders to take on the management of their homes while remaining tenants of the council. Through the Right to Manage, and subject to a ballot and safeguards, council tenants can choose to have their homes managed by a TMO instead of the council.
- Key features of TMOs:
- TMOs are non-profit membership organisations, run by an elected tenant-led management committee.
- They sign a management contract with the landlord to deliver agreed services such as caretaking, lettings, tenancy management, and rent collection.
- TMOs can vary in size – from managing small estates or neighbourhoods to large estates of two or three thousand properties.
- Smaller TMOs may rely on volunteers, while most employ staff.
In London, there are currently 116 TMOs, along with several Housing Association Management Co-ops. However, housing association tenants do not have the same Right to manage as council tenants – a change many LTF members would like to see. Click here to visit the National Federation of TMOs.
Hear from Mick O’Sullivan on Housing Co-ops
Mick O’Sullivan, Chair of the London Federation of Housing Co-operatives, explains how housing co-ops can outperform large housing associations in both tenant satisfaction and financial security.