Weslo Property Management’s Tenant Participation Group, which meets quarterly and is now made up of twelve tenant members, is pushing the boundaries of private sector tenant engagement and is working towards launching an online forum specifically for tenants renting privately in Scotland.

The group, which was initially developed by Weslo Housing Management’s head of private rented services, Ashley Millan, was set up to mirror, albeit on a smaller scale, the parent company’s tenant participation strategy. However as the group has evolved it now operates as a community anchor, sharing best practice and actively works on improving service within the sector. The group, which was established in March 2017, is now keen to evolve and have agreed that an online forum would allow them to reach private renters across the country.

It is expected that the new online forum will launch in the summer of 2019. The forum will initially open to tenants of Weslo Property Management and its clients and, once established, will open to general members of the public who have an interest in private renting or, who themselves rent privately.

Ashley Millan, head of private rented services, said: “We are delighted with the work that our Tenant Participation Group is doing and fully support the move to provide an online forum, in addition to our regular meetings. The private Rented Sector is now a tenure of choice, with people enjoying, and benefitting from the advantages renting can bring. It is expected that one in four households will rent privately in Britain by 2021.

“It is therefore vital that we continue to meet the needs and demands of this growing tenure. As tenants, including families with children, look to settle into private rented accommodation for the longer term, it is expected that more private tenants will look to influence and shape the service they receive from their landlord—and we are pleased to be leading the way in this particular area.”