A BRIGHT pink Campervan was the mobile office for Tenant Services Authority staff when they came to the isle on Monday.

Members of the new regulatory body, set up in December as a watchdog for social housing, pulled up in Margate and Ramsgate as part of the National Conversation campaign to ask tenants what they think of the quality of service they get from their landlord.

Information gathered by the TSA will be used to help it to create a standards framework against which all councils and housing associations will be measured.

As of December 1, 2009, the TSA, backed by the Housing Regulation Act 2008, will be able to check on how landlords are performing and if necessary take action against those who are not up to standard

Disabled Dennis Wright, 62, lives in a two-bedroom house in Connaught Gardens, Margate.

He queued up to have his say about waiting for Thanet council to fix his stair-lift.

He said: "My stair-lift hardly ever works. I keep asking the council and nothing ever happens.

"I’m registered disabled with emphysema, angina and spinal problem and I live in a tiny house with the bathroom on the third floor.We have yobs breaking into houses in the street. They think they can take what they want. I desperately need a new property."

A Thanet council spokesman said the star-lift has an annual service and Mr Wright has not reported any other problems.

Pamela Rogers, 67, lives in a one-bedroom council flat in Turner Court on Clarendon Road, Cliftonville.

She said: "The area around the flats is disgusting and dirty. Clarendon Road is covered in dog mess.

"The flat is OK but we do get a lot of trouble with some of the tenants.

"When there is an empty flat we are terrified who they are going to put in there."

Senior adviser at TSA, Deborah Iliot, said: "We want to find out what experiences tenants are having and we have lots of powers to support our cause.

"Housing associations were regulated by housing corporations and the TSA is using their powers to regulate associations. As of April 2010 we will regulate all properties in England."

Customer services director at Orbit South, Simon Addley, 52, was watching from the sidelines and offering support where necessary.

He said: "This exercise is in its infancy and is crucial to how we operate in the future.They are trying to create a standard for every affordable housing, tenants and operators."

For more information call the TSA on 0845 230 7000 or go to www.tenantservicesauthority.org/index.php.