Housing Technology interviewed housing, repairs and maintenance, asset and technology experts from FLS – Fast Lean Smart, HousingAI, Mobysoft, NEC Software Solutions, The Riverside Group and Voicescape on how housing providers can use technology to achieve healthier homes, reduced back-logs of repairs and better housing portfolios, including some quick wins and best-practice examples.
What should be the priorities?
Gary Haynes, managing director of Voicescape, said, “The first priority is for housing providers to tackle the persistent problem of no-access for essential safety checks and repairs. Missed appointments remain one of the most expensive challenges, wasting valuable time and delaying critical work, with each failed visit costing around £75.
“The second priority must be for housing providers to clear their backlogs of repairs. These build up when missed appointments, poor property access and fragmented communications cause delays in progressing cases.”
Trevor Hampton, director of housing solutions at NEC Software Solutions, said, “Housing providers need a clear and accurate picture of every home. This includes information such as property types, how they’re built, what heating systems are installed and when windows were last replaced. Without up-to-date information on total housing stock and the condition of each home, it’s difficult to plan maintenance, prioritise investment or meet regulatory standards.
“Map out the lifecycle of each asset, including when kitchens or roofs might need replacing, how upgrades to older homes could improve energy efficiency and how this would fit with the organisation’s budget. Plan capital maintenance, major works and regeneration projects at the same time because this is more efficient, less disruptive for tenants and makes better use of the workforce than scheduling jobs separately.
“Finally, the work needs to be completed efficiently. This means using the right mix of in-house teams and external contractors and scheduling jobs to avoid delays from weather or seasonal factors.”
Chris Fleck, chief technology and product officer at Mobysoft, said, “The first step is gaining a clear, evidence-based understanding of the condition of homes across the portfolio, not just from surveys or inspections but through the day-to-day data generated by repairs and maintenance activity.
“The second is using that insight to prioritise investments that improve safety, compliance and tenants’ experience. Finally, housing providers must foster a proactive culture of prevention rather than reaction, particularly with new regulations such as Awaab’s Law demanding faster, more transparent responses to property condition issues.”
Tessa Barraclough, assistant director for asset strategy and sustainability at The Riverside Group and lead for the National Housing Maintenance Forum’s working group on healthy homes, said, “With the first phase of Awaab’s Law now in force, housing providers should be considering the second phase in 2026, with the inclusion of additional hazard categories.
“This should include comprehensive stock-condition surveys specifically focused on phase-two hazards. Most housing providers have damp and mould data but far fewer have systematic assessments of excess cold/heat risks, fall hazards, structural integrity concerns, electrical safety beyond the required inspections or hygiene hazard prevalence. Added to that, housing providers should ensure that they have up-to-date data on the vulnerabilities of their tenants.”
How can technology help?
Jeremy Squire, managing director of FLS – Fast Lean Smart, said, “Technology is well placed to help housing providers shift to planned, proactive approaches for repairs and maintenance, scheduling inspections and upgrades to ensure the effective management of homes and asset infrastructure.
“The best approach harnesses data to enhance the accuracy of predictive analytics and supports the monitoring of compliance standards. Investing in transparent asset monitoring via data-led stock-condition surveys helps to identify emerging risks early, enabling housing providers to prioritise their repairs based on urgency and impact.
“Digital systems can monitor asset performance, automate compliance reporting and give residents greater visibility into maintenance and the progress of repairs, while ‘smart’ technology, from IoT sensors to data analytics platforms, supports proactive maintenance and reduces emergency interventions.”
Lee Reevell, CTO of HousingAI, said, “Technology doesn’t help in isolation. It only helps when it’s deployed as part of a strategic digital transformation that addresses how the organisation actually works.
“Integration platforms and middleware solutions can connect disparate systems without needing to ‘rip and replace’, with these platforms acting as a translation layer, enabling your housing management system to talk to your asset management platform, which can then share data with your repairs system and your compliance tools.
“This means that you can start creating your single source of the truth without waiting for some mythical future state where everything runs on one perfect system. And for establishing data-driven asset intelligence, we’re now at the point where the right technologies are mature, proven and affordable, even for smaller housing providers.”
NEC’s Hampton said, “Surveyors often use smart mobile devices to capture detailed information on homes while they’re on site. They’re taken through a step-by-step process to gather information from room layouts and windows, to heating systems and the overall condition of the property so nothing is missed and there’s less chance of a follow-up visit being needed.
“Using asset planning software, housing staff can quickly compare upgrade options, such as the cost, lifespan and durability of materials from kitchens to insulation. This is particularly useful for modelling outcomes, such as the cost and planning implications of putting in a more expensive kitchen lasting 15 years versus a cheaper one with a 10-year guarantee. These tools help staff to make better decisions, allocate budgets and plan long-term changes to improve residents’ living conditions.
“Furthermore, technology can handle most of time-consuming tasks involved in managing building and maintenance works, such as coordinating the arrival of in-house teams and contractors on-site, with automatic scheduling cutting administration time and ensuring that tasks are completed at the right time.”
Voicescape’s Haynes said, “Technology offers powerful solutions to the critical challenges of no-access visits and backlogs of repairs, with automation and data integration playing crucial roles.
“To tackle no-access issues, automated communication platforms can minimise missed appointments by managing the full communications journey around appointments. From initial booking through to rebooking, reminders, updates and follow-ups, technologies such as Voicescape’s Compliance platform can leverage multiple communication channels to keep tenants informed and engaged every step of the way.
“In order to reduce and clear backlogs of repairs, automated reminders, updates and rescheduling options help to reduce no-shows and cancellations, meaning more appointments are kept and completed as planned. Just as importantly, by checking in with tenants, housing teams can identify repairs that are no longer needed, clearing out unnecessary jobs and reducing the overall backlog.”
The distractions of new technologies
HousingAI’s Reevell said, “Far from new technologies being a distraction from getting the basics right (although they do distract if implemented badly), they make it possible to get the basics right at the scale and speed that modern social housing requires.
“For example, AI can analyse repairs data to identify patterns and predict failures but only if your repairs data is accurate and structured consistently in the first place. If your data quality is poor, if repairs are coded inconsistently or if the same problem gets described in 15 different ways depending on who logged it, then AI can’t help.”
FLS’s Squire said, “Technology is now central to how housing providers meet safety standards, manage assets and deliver better services to residents. Field service management solutions such as FLS Visitour have transformed how repairs, inspections and retrofits are planned and executed, helping organisations comply with Awaab’s Law and new regulatory expectations.
“The first step is improving intake and diagnosis. By using consistent job labelling, standardised workflows and automated validation tools, housing providers can ensure their repair requests are correctly categorised and dispatched. This eliminates duplication, minimises subcontractor risk and ensures the right operatives are assigned the first time.
“Hazard prioritisation tools can then use built-in logic to automatically escalate category-one hazards, such as mould, leaks or electrical faults, to ensure they’re dealt with immediately, with dynamic scheduling allocating the nearest qualified operative, optimising routes based on real-world traffic conditions.
“Finally, new technologies can deliver the visibility and accountability needed for new consumer standards. Platforms such as FLS Visitour offer live dashboards that track every repair from request to completion, generating audit trails for inspection-readiness and performance reporting. Integration with CRM, IoT and housing management systems consolidates data across departments, uncovering patterns in recurrent faults or delays.”
Mobysoft’s Fleck said, “The fundamentals of accurate data capture, effective communication between teams and good quality workmanship remain essential, but technology can actually make those basics easier to achieve.
“By automating data analysis, highlighting risks and supporting evidence-based decision-making, tools like AI and IoT enhance operational discipline rather than distract from it.”
Riverside’s Barraclough said, “AI should be seen as a positive development but within a human-focused ecosystem. For example, while AI can triage simple procedures needed to improve homes, especially in reactive response situations, human engineers should always be deployed for more complicated repairs to prevent escalation.”
Are there ‘quick wins’ for asset management?
NEC’s Hampton said, “In housing and building construction, ‘quick’ is a relative term – a quick win might take 12-18 months rather than weeks but there are still high-impact improvements that can deliver real value within that timeframe.
“Repairs are one of the highest cost areas in housing maintenance, so getting them right first time can make a big difference. Tools that help staff to identify the exact cause of a problem before a specialist electrician or plumber visits a property means the right materials and skills can be sourced straight away, leading to fewer return visits, lower costs and less disruption for residents.
“Upgrading an inefficient works management system is also a worthwhile step – this will quickly pay off by helping teams plan maintenance works more efficiently, keep progress on track and prevent costs from escalating.”
Riverside’s Barraclough said, “Build your investigative capacity across all hazard types now because waiting until 2026 to hire and train investigators to match the scale of the requirement almost guarantees that you’ll insufficient capacity.
“Housing providers need competent investigators who can assess thermal comfort, identify fall risks, evaluate structural concerns, assess fire and electrical safety and recognise sanitation hazards. At the same time, all frontline staff should be trained to recognise and flag these phase-two hazards and communicate them accurately.”
HousingAI’s Reevell said, “The most important quick win is to conduct a rapid minimum viable enterprise architecture assessment (MVEA). This is a focused, time-boxed exercise that typically takes four to six weeks.
“You’re mapping your current systems, understanding how data flows between them, identifying where integration points exist (or at least should exist) and documenting where you have duplications, gaps and risks.
“This isn’t about creating perfect documentation of every process in your organisation. It’s about getting clear visibility of your technology landscape and how it supports, or fails to support, your core asset management functions, preventing expensive mistakes. A rapid assessment then gives you the information you need to make informed decisions about where to invest next.”
Mobysoft’s Fleck said, “One of the quickest wins is to make better use of existing data. Many housing providers already hold valuable information in their maintenance and repairs systems – it just needs to be surfaced and connected to deliver insights.
“It’s all very well having the data but that data needs to have a purpose, be real-time, predictive and actionable. Using that intelligence to target recurrent issues or underperforming contractors can deliver immediate savings and service improvements without significant capital cost.”
Examples of best practice
FLS’s Squire said, “When HomeServe allocates the installation of a new boiler, it can schedule a field engineer to do the installation, an electrician to do the wiring and another to remove the old boiler. FLS Visitour links the jobs, even if they are on different days; if appointments change, Visitour will move further steps simultaneously, protecting productivity.”
NEC’s Hampton said, “Housing providers who understand both how a home is built and how it’s lived in tend to get the best results for residents. A property occupied by a young family will experience different wear and tear than one lived in by an older couple. This can influence how repairs are prioritised and what materials or fixtures are chosen to withstand daily use.
“Many housing providers use technology to survey properties, plan spending and maintain homes, but best practice comes from connecting these systems. Joined-up data can reveal patterns, such as kitchens or bathrooms wearing out faster in larger households, allowing housing providers to schedule repairs or upgrades at the right time.”
Voicescape’s Haynes said, “Thirteen Housing Group is a great example. With 60 per cent of its stock over 50 years old and serving some of the most deprived areas in the country, it has significant infrastructural challenges.
“For damp and mould management, Thirteen has implemented automated systems that call tenants at different points in the process. The housing provider has made over 2,000 calls about damp and mould, with 780 residents requiring call-backs and 255 responding that they didn’t need further help. Crucially, almost half of those who responded wanted to speak to Thirteen about their support needs.
“This approach ensures compliance with Awaab’s Law while efficiently targeting those who genuinely need help, and provides a clear digital record of when and how they’ve contacted tenants to meet regulatory standards and keep them safe.
“For essential safety appointments, Thirteen uses multi-channel engagement spanning voice, SMS and email to maximise its reach for gas and electrical safety checks. By automating reminders and offering flexible rescheduling options, they’ve improved attendance rates while reducing the estimated £75 cost per failed visit.”
Mobysoft’s Fleck said, “A strong example is Gloucester City Homes, which recently adopted Mobysoft’s RepairSense and Damp & Mould module to improve the quality and efficiency of its repairs service.
“By using data-driven insights to identify repeat repairs and underlying problems, GCH reduced its repeat-repair visits by 25 per cent, saved over £41,000 in the first six months and significantly improved tenants’ satisfaction. This kind of data-led transformation shows what’s possible when housing providers use technology to not just manage their repairs but to also understand the stories behind them.”
Housing Technology would like to thank Jeremy Squire (FLS – Fast Lean Smart), Lee Reevell (HousingAI), Chris Fleck (Mobysoft), Trevor Hampton (NEC Software Solutions), Tessa Barraclough (The Riverside Group and National Housing Maintenance Forum) and Gary Haynes (Voicescape) for their contributions to this article.
