Starting your association
A Residents' Association has to fulfill certain conditions to ensure it's democratic and representative of the community, including:
- holding an inaugural public meeting inviting all residents
- writing and adopting a community group constitution
- adopting our equal opportunities policy
- holding an annual general meeting inviting all members
- electing a committee
- having council tenants who live in the area
We encourage Residents' Associations to adopt a committee structure where members are nominated for key posts such as:
- chair
- secretary
- treasurer
A number of 'ordinary members' can also be elected, depending on the constitution.
Consider the following questions before you start your association:
- what do you want to achieve?
- what area will your association cover?
- is there an association nearby? You could ask them for help or join them
You'll need as many people as possible to start with. Knock on doors or deliver a leaflet to everyone telling them about your hopes. Make sure you include some contact details.
You could also put up posters in community notice boards and advertise on local social media.
When you have a group of residents write some rules to guide the Residents' Association, a Constitution. You can find examples of constitutions online.
Hold a launch meeting with as many residents as possible. This is when the constitution will be adopted and the committee elected.