Tenant management organisation

A tenant management organisations (TMO) is an organisation set up under the UK Government's Housing (Right to Manage) Regulations 1994, which allow residents of council housing or housing association homes in the UK to take over responsibility for the running of their homes.

Structure and operation
A TMO is created when residents (tenants and leaseholders) in a defined area of council or housing association homes create a corporate body and, typically, elect a management committee to run the body. This body then enters into a formal legal contract between the landlord of the home(s) and the council, known as the management agreement. This agreement outlines the services a TMO is responsible for and what services the council is responsible for. The services provided by TMOs are mainly funded by the management fees paid by the Council under the agreement.

The management agreement details precisely which services are managed by the TMO on behalf of the landlord. The extent of the devolution in service can vary enormously, particularly between small and large TMOs, but may typically include day-to-day repairs, allocations and lettings, tenancy management, cleaning and care taking and rent collection/recovery.

The TMO can take a number of legal forms. Registered TMOs may be a co-operative, or set up under corporate law.

Some 'guide TMOs' provide support to community groups interested in the concept (Friday Hill TMO and Millbank Estate TMO are two examples in London). The work of a TMO may touch and overlap with that of an arms-length management organisation (ALMO).

Setting up a TMO
The London Borough of Hackney council website states the following as a possible plan to set up a TMO:


 * 1) Explore the options for involvement
 * 2) Right to manage notice
 * 3) Develop business plan training and negotiations
 * 4) Competence assessment
 * 5) Offer to tenants and then ballot
 * 6) Setting up and going live

If a TMO is set up, you will still remain as a tenant or a leaseholder of the council and your existing rights are protected.

Examples of tenant management organisations in England

 * Watmos Community Homes
 * Holland Rise & Whitebeam TMO
 * Kensington and Chelsea TMO
 * Leathermarket JMB
 * Bloomsbury EMB
 * Millbank Estate
 * Pendleton Together
 * Belle Isle TMO