Image: Colm McDaid, CEO, Supporting Communities; Lesa Flanagan, Senior Engagement Officer, and Ashleigh Mulgrave, Tenant Engagement Officer, Radius Housing Community Engagement Team
Next level tenant participation
Choice Housing and Radius Housing become Northern Ireland’s first Platinum-accredited landlords
INNOVATION & IMPROVEMENT
Issue 85 | September 2026
This summer marks a defining moment for tenant engagement in Northern Ireland's social housing sector. Choice Housing and Radius Housing have become the first two organisations to achieve Platinum Level accreditation under Supporting Communities' Tenant Participation Accreditation framework, the highest standard in a system designed to raise, and keep raising, the bar for how landlords work with the people who live in their homes.
For Supporting Communities, the Independent Tenant Organisation for Northern Ireland, this isn’t just an award ceremony. It’s proof of concept for an idea we’ve championed for years: that tenant engagement should be measured, benchmarked and continuously improved, not treated as a box-ticking exercise that stops once a policy is signed off.
Why Platinum is different
Our accreditation framework, customised specifically for the Northern Ireland context, has always included built-in tiers, because good tenant engagement looks different at different stages of an organisation’s development. But Platinum sits apart. It isn’t awarded for solid, competent practice. It’s reserved for landlords who can demonstrate excellent, industry-leading results for tenants, underpinned by strong leadership, genuine innovation, and a deep, sustained commitment to engagement that runs through the organisation rather than sitting in a single team or department.
Crucially, assessors weren’t just looking at what Choice Housing and Radius Housing are doing well today. Platinum asks a harder question: is this practice sustainable? Is it built to last beyond a single strategy cycle or a single champion within the organisation? And is it good enough to influence policy and practice across the wider sector?
Both organisations answered yes, through rigorous, evidence-based assessment rather than self-declaration.
Raising the bar, not just marking it
We believe this moment represents a genuine step-change for the sector. For years, tenant participation in social housing has too often been treated as good practice to aspire to. What Choice Housing and Radius Housing have shown is that it can be delivered at an industry-leading level, consistently, and in a way that other landlords across Northern Ireland and beyond can look to as a benchmark.
That’s the real purpose of the Platinum tier. It sets a marker for where the whole sector should be heading. With two organisations now holding this standard, other housing associations have a live, local example of what excellent tenant engagement looks like in practice, not in theory.
Commenting on the achievement, Colm McDaid, CEO of Supporting Communities, said:
‘Choice Housing and Radius Housing have set the standard that we now want the rest of the sector to aim for. Platinum accreditation is not easily won; it demands sustained commitment, strong leadership and genuine innovation in how tenants are engaged, not just a good year of activity. Both organisations have shown that excellent tenant participation can be embedded, sustained and used to shape wider practice. I want to congratulate everyone involved, and particularly the tenants whose voices have driven this progress. This is exactly the ‘next level’ we set out to achieve when we developed this framework for Northern Ireland.’
“With two organisations now holding this standard, other housing associations have a live, local example of what excellent tenant engagement looks like in practice, not in theory.”
(L to R) Lesa Flanagan, Senior Engagement Officer, and Ashleigh Mulgrave, Tenant Engagement Officer, Radius Housing Community Engagement Team
Lesa Flanagan, Senior Tenant Engagement Officer at Radius Housing, said:
'This award belongs every bit as much to our tenants as it does to Radius. Their feedback, ideas and enthusiasm for getting involved have shaped the way we deliver our services and helped us build stronger, more connected communities. We are grateful to everyone who has taken the time to share their experiences, join conversations and work alongside us to make a real difference.
Seeing the positive impact of genuine tenant participation has been inspiring. It shows what can be achieved when people feel listened to and valued. We are committed to continuing this journey together, ensuring every tenant has the opportunity to have their voice heard and to help shape the services they receive.'
Jonathon Blakely, Choice's Community Development Manager, welcomed the recognition:
'This Platinum Accreditation is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved with Choice and a clear reflection of the strong partnership that exists between tenants, staff and the organisation as a whole. It demonstrates a genuine commitment to listening to tenants, valuing their input and ensuring their voices play a meaningful role in shaping services.'
What this means for tenants
Ultimately, accreditation exists for one reason: better outcomes for tenants. Platinum-level organisations don’t just consult tenants. They embed tenants’ voices in decision-making, innovate in how they reach seldom-heard groups, and treat engagement as core business rather than an add-on. That translates into real differences in how services are shaped and how much genuine influence tenants have over the homes and communities they live in.
Leading from Northern Ireland
Supporting Communities has long argued that Northern Ireland can lead, not follow, in tenant participation standards. With Choice Housing and Radius Housing now setting the pace at Platinum level, we have proof that this ambition is achievable and that the framework is robust enough to keep raising the bar as more organisations follow their lead.
We look forward to seeing who joins them next!
