How to rethink digital housing services
Few would argue that our sector is slow to change when it comes to technology and innovation. There are many reasons why this is the case, such as regulatory considerations, day-to-day operational priorities and budgetary constraints.
However, do we have to let these constraints (sometimes real, sometimes perceived) limit our ideas and expectations of what’s possible?
Following TechLabs London’s first ‘Co-lab’ session, I am excited by the amazing enthusiasm and openness of the attendees to challenge the status quo, not accept ‘good enough’ and to embrace the ethos of ‘customer-centric design’ that’s key to delivering great products and services.
Let’s rewind a little – what is a Co-lab? As the name suggests, they are all about collaboration, although not in the traditional sense of IT suppliers and housing customers working in partnership, but much more broadly to include housing leaders, consultants, specialists and out-of-sector influencers.
Wants vs. needs & transactions vs. experiences
Most of housing’s current digital landscape is built around transactions, such as paying rent, booking a repair or updating contact details. These are functional needs and, in many ways, they’re the minimum expectation of a digital service.
But where’s the joy, the connection or the wish to engage?
This is where experiences come in – the richer and more emotional layer that transforms a transactional platform or application into something meaningful. One of the central themes of our first Co-lab was asking: what would make a tenant want to use their housing provider’s app, rather than just needing to use it?
We heard about gamification, rewards, social features, community content and digital spaces for wellbeing. Could housing services learn from the stickiness of apps that people already love, from fitness trackers to neighbourhood forums? Could a tenant log in not just because the boiler is broken but because there’s something they want to check in on?
We also asked everyone: if you had no barriers, no budget limits and no technology constraints, what would be your vision for a housing app? The answers were surprisingly human: personalisation, local stories, kindness and simplicity.
It’s a reminder that great digital design starts with empathy, by putting ourselves in tenants’ shoes.
We will fail (fast)
Innovation isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. That’s why we’re embracing a ‘fail fast, learn fast’ mindset.
Too often in service design, there’s pressure to get things 100 per cent right before we test anything, but that’s a recipe for delay, risk aversion and missed opportunities. Our aim isn’t to avoid failure, it’s to make it safe, visible and valuable.
One powerful idea was the creation of ‘learning loops’ – mechanisms for quickly testing ideas, capturing insights and scaling what works. This could mean releasing a feature to 20 users before a full rollout or co-designing with frontline teams rather than waiting for post-launch feedback.
We also talked about psychological safety: the freedom to speak up, suggest wild ideas or point out flaws without fear. That isn’t merely a cultural bonus, it’s essential if we want to innovate responsibly and inclusively.
Balancing reality with ambition
We know that housing providers are operating under immense pressures. From backlogs of repairs to the complexities of building safety, it’s easy and completely understandable to default to survival mode, with innovation feeling like a luxury.
But we can acknowledge those pressures without letting them limit our imagination. Innovation isn’t a distraction from the work; it’s a way to do the work better. It’s about finding smarter ways to serve tenants, empower staff with the right tools and build digital experiences that reduce friction rather than add to it.
One of the more nuanced discussions we had considered the boundaries of housing services in the digital age. For example, would offering a mindfulness tool in a housing app be beyond a housing provider’s remit? At first, this might sound like ‘mission drift’ but scratch the surface, and it raises an important point. Housing isn’t just about buildings – it’s also about people, and people don’t segment their wellbeing neatly into service categories.
If loneliness, anxiety or isolation are affecting someone’s quality of life, isn’t there a case for supporting those needs, even gently, through the same digital platforms we use for rent and repairs?
Just as libraries have become community hubs and GP’s surgeries now refer patients to gardening groups or debt advice, housing providers could be in a unique position to offer more holistic forms of digital engagement.
Not every idea is relevant to every housing provider but by being open to these conversations and by testing where the line between ‘need’ and ‘want’ might be blurred for the better, we can unlock a deeper kind of innovation, driven by empathy, not just efficiency.
Curiosity and the road ahead
We closed our first session with a sense of momentum, but innovation doesn’t end when the sticky notes are taken down, that’s when it really begins. What this session proved is that housing professionals aren’t short of ideas, energy or empathy; what’s often missing is the space to think differently and the support to act on that thinking.
Innovation doesn’t begin with answers; it begins with the courage to ask better questions.
Paul Berry is the senior product manager at TechLabs London.
