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Tenant and Resident Associations (TRAs)

Work with us to improve your neighbourhood.

Tenant and Resident Associations (TRAs) are groups of tenants and/or leaseholders who come together to represent the views of people living in a block, scheme, or neighbourhood.

What do TRAs do?

When recognised by Guildford Borough Council, TRAs work in partnership with us to improve their neighbourhood. The group:

  • collect and share concerns of residents and suggest improvements
  • collaborate with housing staff and partner organisations
  • organise social or community activities
  • apply for council or external funding
  • strengthen community cohesion
     

Why form a TRA?

Setting up a TRA gives residents a stronger, collective voice on housing issues, they can:

  • inform and influence housing decisions to improve services
  • access training, support, and funding
  • bring residents together and build community spirit
  • creates improved communication channel to stay updated with communal works

Step by step guide on how to form a TRA

If you are thinking of starting a Tenant and Resident Association:

1. Define your area

  • decide which block, estate, or neighbourhood the TRA will cover
  • check whether any existing TRAs already represent this area

2. Gather resident support

  • speak with neighbours, explain what a TRA is, and encourage participation
  • ensure everyone involved understands the purpose and responsibilities of the group
     

3. Hold an initial meeting

  • once enough interest is gathered, residents can hold a meeting to agree that a TRA will be formed and adopt a written constitution (template found at the bottom of the page)
  • this is where you will elect the committee
     

Requirements for formal recognition

To be officially recognised by Guildford Borough Council, your TRA must have:

  • a written constitution (template found at the bottom of the page)
  • a democratically elected committee (which will need to be documented in your minutes), this must include:
    1. Chairperson
    2. Secretary
    3. Treasurer
  • minutes and an attendance list for meetings
  • membership open to all residents in the area
  • a bank account with two unrelated signatories (only if applying for grants. More help on how to do this can be found below)
  • basic data protection compliance (more information can be found on the Information Commissioners Office: UK GDPR guidance and resources | ICO / Training videos | ICO)

Sharing your constitution, minutes, and officer names with the Council is not a GDPR breach. The Council will hold this information internally adhering to our privacy statement (Privacy statements - Guildford Borough Council) to demonstrate the legitimacy of the TRA.
 

How to become a recognised TRA

Send the following to Tenants.Group@guildford.gov.uk:

  • your constitution
  • minutes from your election meeting
  • names of elected officers
     

Once approved, your TRA will be formally recognised. The TRA will then be added to the TRA webpage so others can see current groups running in their area that have been formally recognised by the Council.

Benefits of being a recognised TRA

Recognised TRAs can access:

  • training and support for committee roles
  • start‑up and revenue grants
  • help with publicity, printing, and running meetings
  • attendance by Housing officers (on request) at group meetings.

Additional support available

We can provide:

Useful Information

Voluntary Action South West Surrey can advise groups on opening a community bank account: https://www.voluntaryactionsws.org.uk/funding-and-governance