• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Housing Technology Main Logo

Housing Technology

Housing | IT | Telecoms | Business | Ecology

  • Free Subscription
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Research
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Recruitment
  • On Demand
Home / Free Subscriber Access / A silver bullet from the Open Data Forum

A silver bullet from the Open Data Forum

What happens when you have a conversation about how technology and data could be the ‘silver bullet’ to the many challenges and hurdles faced in social housing?

The answer is a small and committed group of individuals from housing providers, government, local authorities and consultancies who have formed to champion the ideas of collaboration, transparency and service improvement. Our name (working title) is the Open Data Forum.

A national database

We’ve given ourselves six months to persuade the housing sector to create a national social housing database, combining open data with technology standards in order to drive rapid improvement in the management of social housing, transforming the customer experience and creating additional capacity while reducing costs.

The lack of reliable, real-time data has long been a thorn in the side of housing providers and local authorities’ housing departments.

Up-to-date information

Imagine a world where every decision regarding housing is empowered by accurate, up-to-date information. A world where tenants’ needs are not just met, but anticipated and addressed proactively, deep rooted in a robust understanding of homes, needs and preferences. This is the vision driving the creation of a singular, focused database standardising data structures, formats and connectivity across local authorities and housing providers.

At the heart of this vision lies the national social housing database, a revolutionary concept with the potential to reshape the way social housing is managed, regulated, and experienced by millions across the UK.

The urgency of dependable data

In our view, the need for such a database is pressing. Currently, housing providers and local authorities are grappling with a fragmented data environment, relying on outdated tools such as spreadsheets and email threads, and those who have championed technology roadmaps as a silver bullet have often been left wanting as the reality of unreliable, poor quality, disparate data bites. This not only hampers their operational capacity but also impedes their ability to address residents’ needs effectively and make informed decisions.

Recognising the urgency of this issue, regulatory bodies such as the Regulator of Social Housing and the Housing Ombudsman have highlighted the critical role that reliable data plays in their effectiveness. The lack of dependable data not only undermines regulatory efforts but also creates confusion, a lack of transparency and delays in tenant/landlord interactions.

The result is that as few as 20 per cent of housing providers are seeing increases in customer satisfaction, and only 34 per cent of tenants are satisfied with the way their landlords resolve complaints.

Benefits across the spectrum

The benefits of a national social housing database are far-reaching. For housing providers, it offers clarity on property attributes, safety standards and repair needs, empowering them to deliver improved services efficiently. Tenants stand to gain with more information and choice about properties, while the regulator can ensure compliance with a scalable, comparative approach and track property-related issues more effectively.

Furthermore, technology suppliers can better align their products with the housing sector’s needs, perhaps engaging in innovation hubs to foster collaboration to develop cutting-edge maintenance solutions. From precise maintenance planning to resource allocation and insights into property conditions, the potential impact is immense. At a time when supply-chain costs and inflation are biting, greater collaboration, innovation and data quality are essential.

Supporting key government initiatives

This initiative aligns seamlessly with key government initiatives. From alleviating the pressure on social rent inflation to advancing net-zero goals and supporting vulnerable communities, the national social housing database could be a cornerstone of policy efforts aimed at enhancing living standards and driving sustainable growth.

Overcoming challenges

Challenges abound, from incompatible systems, fragmented responsibilities to a skills gap in data management and digital immaturity. However, with a collaborative approach and a dedicated consortium, these obstacles can be overcome. Leveraging existing data sources and engaging stakeholders from housing providers to regulatory bodies, the path to a standardised, comprehensive database is within reach.

A collaborative endeavour

The Open Data Forum stands as a testament to the power of collaboration. Bringing together data experts, housing stakeholders and technology partners, this consortium is driving the development of a national social housing database with unwavering dedication. There is a huge role for housing providers to help us lobby for change and to try out new approaches. For technology suppliers, we look forward to sharing our requirements to see how innovative and effective they could be in helping us move forward.

Looking ahead

As discussions progress and prototypes take shape, the vision of a national social housing database grows closer to reality. With each milestone achieved, the promise of efficient, inclusive communities fuelled by reliable data becomes clearer.

In the journey towards revolutionising social housing, a national social housing database isn’t just a technological innovation. Data challenges are one of the most pervasive risks to the safety and wellbeing of our customers and a national database may be less of a silver bullet and more akin to the penicillin required to overcome this challenge and deliver sustainable benefits for everyone involved in social housing.

Julia Mixter is the executive director of business services at Anchor Housing, writing on behalf of the Open Data Forum.

See More On:

  • Vendor: Open Data Forum
  • Housing Association: Anchor Housing
  • Topic: Housing Management, Infrastructure
  • Publication Date: 099 - May 2024
  • Type: Contributed Articles

Primary Sidebar

Most Recent Articles

  • Artificial intelligence in housing
  • Mobysoft – Data problems affecting complaints’ handling
  • Data, AI and private-sector strategies
  • Smart repairs & smarter homes
  • From firewalls to fortresses
  • Achieving three quick wins in AI
  • Rebuilding Selwood Housing’s IT infrastructure
  • Are you ready for organisational AI?
  • PIMSS releases AI Document Reader for compliance
  • Calico Homes cuts arrears with RentSense
  • FourNet launches digital transformation index
  • New income recovery software from Voicescape
  • Asprey Assets at YMCA
  • I love spreadsheets…
  • All watched over by machines of loving grace – AI assistants and adult social care
  • The rent revolution – The case for AI-powered payments
  • Unlocking safer living through data
  • Aareon acquires MIS ActiveH
  • Vericon launches MouldSense
  • Back to the future at Housing Technology 2025
  • FireAngel wins Which? Award
  • Maximising income and preventing homelessness
  • Anchoring digital innovation with Plentific
  • Cynon Taf Community Housing gets Housing Insight’s Arrears Manager
  • Tenants, AI & your biggest compliance risk
  • EDITOR’S NOTES – Data, standards & straight-through processing
  • AI as a social housing expert
  • South Yorkshire Housing halves arrears with Mobysoft
  • Bromford Flagship wins Aico’s smart-home competition
  • Putting VIVID’s customers in control of their tenancies

Footer

Housing Technology Main Logo
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Contact
  • Free Subscription
  • Book an event
  • Research
  • Update Your Subscription
  • Privacy Policy

Welcome to the housing Technology – Trusted Information For Business Professionals in HOusing

Housing Technology is the leading technology information service for the UK housing sector and local governments. We have always believed in the fundamental importance of how the UK’s social housing providers use technology to improve their tenants’ lives.

Subscribe to Housing Technology to gain market-leading research, unsurpassed peer networking opportunities and a greater understanding of your role to transform your business.

Copyright © The Intelligent Business Company 2025 | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Housing Technology is published by the The Intelligent Business Company. A company with limited liability. Registered in England No. 4958057 | Vat Registion No. 833 0069 55.

Registered Business Address: Hoppingwood Farm, Robin Hood Way, London, SW20 0AB | Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8336 2293