Cymorth Cymru and Learning Disability Wales would like to invite you to attend the Launch of the Real Tenancy Test at the Cymorth Cymru Annual Conference 2013.

The Real Tenancy Test is based on the principle that all people with a learning disability, and others who reside as tenants in supported living settings, should be able to exercise the same rights and responsibilities, and enjoy similar levels of choice and control over their home environment as any other tenant regardless of their need for care and support services.

The Real Tenancy Test is a quick test which can be used in supported living and tenancy based supported housing to indicate the extent to which real tenancy rights are being delivered. It is designed to be used by support providers, landlords and commissioners as a self assessment tool to help them understand how their approaches and practices work for, or against, the exercise of real tenancy rights by their tenants and service users, and to indicate how improvements may be made where needed.

Whilst some people with learning disabilities have the same rights, choice and control in their homes as all tenants should, there are others who have tenancies in housing and support services where they do not enjoy real rights, choice and control. This can be because although they may have a legal and binding tenancy agreement, their home operates more like a traditional residential care service, where a care provider runs the home and commissioners ‘place’ people in their home.

The Real Tenancy Test is designed to get a quick understanding of whether a tenancy in supported living gives real tenancy rights.