1. Start talking to your neighbours and find out whether they are interested in joining the association. This could be done by knocking on doors, outside schools, down the shops or just out in the street. Talk to your Housing Officer, friends and neighbours. You may wish to distribute a survey to get an idea of the level of interest. Exeter City Council can provide examples to use and can help by paying for these to be printed and posted.
2. Select a date and time which is suitable for most people. Avoid dates that might conflict with school holidays or religious holidays when people might be away or have other commitments. Early evening is a good time so those that work can attend.
3. Select a local venue which is fully accessible for everyone. You may also wish to consider refreshments. Exeter City Council can help with room hire and costs for this initial meeting.
4. Produce flyers, posters and any other publicity for the event. You may wish to use social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, or a neighbourhood apps such as Next Door. It may also be a good idea to include a nomination form with any flyers to nominate the officers of the committee. Exeter City Council can provide examples to use and can help by paying for these to be printed and posted.
5. Invite all your neighbours. It is also a good idea to invite your Housing Officer and Housing Community Initiatives Officers who can also help you plan the meeting. You may also wish to invite the local Police Community Support Officer and Councillors.
6. You will need to ensure you have enough support from the residents that you are representing. If your association covers 20 properties or more, you should have membership support of at least 25% of households. If there are between 10 and 20 households you must have a membership of at least 50% of households.  If you cannot generate enough interest to form a formal residents’ association, you can still operate as an informal group and undertake many of the same activities, though this might impact on your ability to get funding.