Apply for our tenant-led improvement budget for 2023/24 | Tenant news

Improving a communal space is a great way to bring people together on your scheme, whether that’s through getting a new barbecue grill, a bike shed or garden planters.

And they can be funded through Habinteg’s tenant-led improvement budget.

The tenant-led improvement budget is a pot of money you can apply for to improve the quality of communal areas and activities for the benefit of all tenants.

Every scheme receives a budget of £11 per home. It’s important to remember that the budget needs to be spent within a 12-month period (from April to March), it can’t be carried over to the next year. It’s a case of ‘use it or lose it’.

You can use the budget for communal services and improvements, or for community or social projects, which is how our Park Hill scheme spent some of theirs this year.  

‘Our warm space has been a hit’

Hull Neighbourhood Coordinator Scott Rumblow used the fund to help pay for warm snacks and drinks at Park Hill’s community space during cold spells this winter.

Scott organised four warm space events for all residents where hot soup and bread rolls, as well as tea, and coffee, were offered.

“The warm spaces events have been a real hit, they've especially helped support older tenants,” said Scott.

“People have commented in person, over email and over the phone to me about how the events have improved community feeling on the scheme.”

Improve your surroundings

Habinteg has approved grants for more than 30 projects over the past year.

In Hainault, north-east London, tenants have got new outdoor furniture and lights for their garden spaces. At our Enfield scheme, north London, indoor communal spaces are being recarpeted.

Over in Kent, our Tunbridge Wells tenants have used the fund for new planters and new plants for their outdoor spaces, while our Sheerness residents paid for a skip hire with the money.

At Wylye Lodge in Wiltshire, our residents are getting a new bike shed and a new barbecue grill with barbecue utensils.

How to apply

Any tenant can put forward ideas or themes for how the budget could be spent on their scheme. All ideas are then put to a majority vote among tenants and the proposal is checked and authorised by Habinteg.

To find out how to apply for the tenant-led improvement budget, speak to your Neighborhood Coordinator or Neighborhood Manager.