What actually is membership?
A Member of the Association is a person who is a tenant or resident leaseholder and whose name and address is entered in the register of shareholders.
Membership is where a tenant or leaseholder of Red Kite completes a simple form to officially become a shareholding member of Red Kite. This was a way of working that was embedded by tenants when Red Kite was created, designed to ensure that tenants had a direct connection to decision making at the highest level. It is written into our rules and prevents Red Kite from being able to make big decisions which would have an impact on tenants and communities, without having to pass it through the membership first.
Membership of Red Kite does not give members any financial benefit, it carries a nominal value of £1 which does not gather interest, dividend, or bonus and cannot be withdrawn or transferred. The purpose of membership in a housing context is primarily about ensuring that consultation with tenants and leaseholders is built in.
We currently have over 600 members. Many of our members become involved as a volunteer within our tenant involvement pathway. This could be reviewing policies, allocating grant funding, or sitting on staff interviews.
What would I be required to do as a member?
Members are contacted in the event of any significant change and each year, usually in September, they are invited to our Annual General Meeting (AGM) and are asked to vote on the appointment of Board members, to sign-off our annual accounts, and to approve the selection of our auditors. You are not required to do anything as a member, but it ensures that you are consulted in the event of any future plans that you might feel strongly about.
Examples of membership consultation and approval:
- Amendments to the rules of the organisation
- Consultation on the change in our office hours
How do I become a member?
If you're a Red Kite tenant or leaseholder, you are eligible to become a member. Simply fill out and submit the application form on this page. The application form takes most people less than 5 minutes to complete.
Please contact us if you would like a print copy of the form.
Please note that you can only become a member if you are either:
- One of our tenants
- One of our resident leaseholders; or
- One of our resident shared owners.
You must also:
- Not be in breach of your tenancy agreement or lease
- Be aged 16 or over
- Have read our rules and agreed to abide by them
- Not have been expelled as a member or removed as a Board Member
- Not have been deemed by a medical professional to be incapable of exercising your rights as a member.