Reinventing Tenant Participation in Social Housing
What is Tenant Engagement?
Tenant engagement is the active involvement of tenants in shaping, influencing, and improving the housing services they receive. Whether through panels, consultations, or co-design activities, it’s about giving tenants a voice that leads to action. At its best, it’s aligned with the Tenant Involvement and Empowerment Standard, a regulatory benchmark in England.
We believe that engagement doesn’t have to be boring. That’s why we created Game of Homes — a tenant engagement workshop with a twist.
Game of Homes: Engagement Through Play
It’s February 2025 and we have delivered our first official Game of Homes event at Rochdale Boroughwide Homes (RBH). Here’s what Amy Holden, Community Investment Manager at RBH, had to say:
“Yesterday at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing we brought scrutiny to life with #GameOfHomes… It was a fantastic reminder of what matters most—working with tenants to make things better!”
Game of Homes is a unique board game workshop co-developed by Golden Marzipan and Claire Blacka of Tentacles Consultancy, designed to bring tenants and housing professionals together to tackle real social housing challenges in an interactive, inclusive way.
Why It Works: The Power of Gamification in Tenant Engagement
Gamification uses game mechanics—like challenges, storytelling, and collaboration—to drive learning, discussion, and decision-making. Instead of PowerPoint fatigue, participants dive into problem-solving, strategy, and storytelling—just like in real-life policy work, but more engaging.
Our game was inspired by examples like the Helsinki Participation Game, and Homeless Monopoly in Coventry, both showing how serious games can make complex systems more human and participatory.
Backed by behavioural science—including Self-Determination Theory and Nudge Theory—the approach encourages:
✔ Autonomy: Tenants choose how they engage.
✔ Competence: They build skills and confidence.
✔ Relatedness: It deepens relationships with peers and staff.
✔ Motivation: It feels meaningful, not just procedural.
What Does a Workshop Facilitator Do Differently Here?
In Game of Homes, the role of the workshop facilitator isn’t to deliver answers—it’s to draw out diverse perspectives, manage group dynamics, and ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Our facilitators are trained in inclusive co-design and tenant empowerment practices, making sure engagement leads to outcomes, not just opinions.
From Consultation to Co-Creation
Game of Homes moves beyond traditional surveys or forums. It helps organisations:
Meet the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard
Explore tenant satisfaction and service delivery challenges
Build consensus in policy reviews and service redesigns
Break down barriers between frontline staff, tenants, and leadership
Ready to Try a New Way of Working With Tenants?
Whether you’re exploring tenant engagement strategies, planning a resident workshop, or refreshing your approach to co-production, Game of Homes is designed to help.
📩 Contact steve@goldenmarzipan.co.uk or Claire@tentaclesconsultancy.co.uk to find out more.
Let’s bring policy to life—one game at a time.
