Toggle menu

Council Housing Tenant Handbook

Resident Involvement

As a tenant of Wiltshire Council why not get involved and have your say on how we deliver our services to you?

Your views and experiences are important and help us to understand what matters most to you. We are keen to work with our residents to help improve the neighbourhoods and communities they live in.

We're committed to making sure you have the opportunity to participate in shaping and improving our housing services, at a level that is meaningful to you. We have a number of different ways you can become involved and we want to make it easy for you to get involved and have your say. We will support you to do this by:

  • providing support or training to help you develop the skills and confidence to get your views across
  • provide clear information in a suitable format, e.g. large print, audio, Braille and in other languages if required
  • provide the staff, skills and resources to allow you to participate

We have a range of involvement opportunities at all levels that can take up varying amounts of time. Whether you can spare an hour occasionally or can commit more time on a regular basis, your say counts and can make a difference. We understand that meetings are not for everyone, which is why our options are so flexible. You don't even have to leave your home to have your say

Why get involved?

Your views really matter to us and can help us to improve our services and the way we work to meet your needs. By getting involved you can:

  • address local issues and create a sense of community spirit
  • make a positive difference for tenants where you live
  • help us to provide better quality homes
  • help us to design policies and procedures that meet your needs
  • hold us, as your landlord, to account

What's in it for me? 

Getting involved in your local community is a great way to meet new people and make a difference at the same time. You can gain a range of skills and experience that will be useful for your CV. When you get involved you will also learn a great deal about Housing Services and the way we work and you will be helping us to improve the quality our services for all our tenants.

We've included a list of some of the activities you can get involved with, but new opportunities are happening all the time, so please call us on 0300 456 0117 - option 5 and we can chat through the options.

Get involved by:

  • Joining the Challenge and Change group
    Help us to improve our services by taking a detailed look at the services we offer and make recommendations on how we can improve those services
    A few hours a month
  • Joining the Comms and Tech group
    Read and comment on our Housing Matters magazine and digital newsletter, provide feedback on the articles and information. Read and evaluate our standard letters, leaflets etc. Making sure our website, social media and other communication methods are working and giving tenants the best information.
    About an hour a month
  • Joining the Sheltered Housing Forum
    For residents of our sheltered housing schemes, this is a chance to share thoughts and views on the services provided by Wiltshire Council Housing and to find out what other sheltered schemes are doing in the area. 
    A couple of hours a month
  • Joining the Housing Board
    Working alongside Councillors and independent experts help us to set the strategic direction of our housing services
    Several hours a month
  • Attending community events
    Have fun and have your say at the same time
    Every once in a while
  • Attending a Neighbourhood Review in your area
    Accompany the neighbourhood officer, repairs surveyor and other officers to inspect the estate where you live and identify issues like graffiti, fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour.
    Two hours once a year
  • Attending a focus group
    Help us to develop and improve key service areas such as repairs and maintenance and tenant services
    Two to three hours periodically
  • Completing questionnaires and surveys
    Completing short questionnaires on a range of topics, to help us understand what our tenants want
    A few minutes, a few times a year
  • Completing the annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures survey
    The survey goes out every year to half of our residents and the following year to the other half. This is your chance to say on how you feel we are performing as a landlord and helps us make improvements to the service.
    An hour every other year

For more information, or if you'd like to get involved in these activities, please contact us:

Tel: 0300 456 0117 - option 5

Email: Tenantparticipation@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

Write to us or visit us: Housing Management, Wiltshire Council, Council House, Bourne Hill, Salisbury SP1 3UZ

iHousing online tenant portal

 The iHousing portal allows you to manage and pay your rent and request repairs through a secure online account. You can view your rent payment history, make online payments, request repairs and monitor the progress of them.

You can register for iHousing in the following ways:

Tel: 0300 456 0117 - option 4

Email: HSGMail@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window)

Write to us or visit us: Housing Management, Wiltshire Council, Council House, Bourne Hill, Salisbury SP1 3UZ

Online: Complete the online registration form at: https://ihousing.wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) or follow the iHousing link from the main council housing page: wiltshire.gov.uk/housing-council-housing.

You need a valid email address to register and as this is a secure service, we may need to verify your identity before your personal login is sent to you.

Automated tenant services

Wiltshire Council Housing offers an automated account balance service for tenants using SMS text and email messages. You do not need to be registered for iHousing to use these services; all we need is your current mobile telephone number and/or email address. Whenever you want to know your account balance and the latest transactions all you have to do is text or email us and we'll send you the information within minutes.

Text the word 'account' to 07860 035349 or email: hsgenquiries@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window) with the word 'account' in the subject field.

To register a mobile number or email address, or to update the details we already hold for you, please call us on 0300 456 0117 - option 4

Alternatively, if you want a regular update on your balance without having to contact us, we can automatically send you a text message on a Tuesday or Friday each week. If you'd like to receive these reminders please call us on 0300 456 0117 - option 1. To stop receiving text messages from Wiltshire Council Housing, either text STOP to 07860 035349 or contact us and let us know.

Share this page

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by email