Virtual College helping social housing tenants improve their financial and social skills

Online learning provider, Virtual College, has created a range of online learning resources to help new tenants settle into their homes and support their pre-tenancy requirements.

Failure to manage a tenancy agreement successfully is a common occurrence within the social housing sector and one which is financially and emotionally damaging for both the tenant and the housing provider.

Fiona Sheen, Virtual College’s online learning advisor, commented:”We were aware of the issues surrounding tenancy agreement failures widely expressed by the social housing sector.

“There is a need to help tenants become self-sustaining by developing their financial awareness and general ability to manage their tenancy successfully.

“Our investment in helping our social housing provider partners to provide a proactive approach to these issues recognises their current budget constraints and the limited financial resources at their disposal.”

The online learning resources will be useful for prospective residents, especially those applying for housing for the first time, or existing residents that require additional assistance.

The five short online pre-tenancy courses provide learners with the knowledge they require for a tenancy agreement; exploring the basics of finding and viewing a property and the practicalities involved in occupying a new home, including paying rent, opening a bank account and getting advice on the services and support available.

The modules have been designed to be stand-alone so that housing associations can select some, or all, of the topics dependent upon their current and prospective tenants’ needs.

Further information on this course is available here.

Virtual College will be running its second ‘Social Housing Horizons’ networking forum on 28 September in association with Aldwych Housing Group.

This free event aims to provide an opportunity to discuss best practice, identify new solutions for delivery of a better workforce and network with fellow social housing professionals.

For more information on the Social Housing Horizons event, please click here.