Selwood Housing launched a pilot project with Aico in 2023, installing HomeLink environmental sensors and gateways to better understand indoor environments across its housing stock. This initial collaboration marked a shift towards a more data-driven, resident-focused approach to property management. Today, the housing provider’s partnership with Aico has evolved to follow new legislation, sector pressures and its ongoing commitment to providing safe, healthy homes across its 7,000 properties.
Scaling up
Aico’s IoT technology is now fully embedded within Selwood Housing’s property management systems. Gateways and environmental sensors are installed in all homes where significant damp or mould has been identified, ensuring a consistent and proactive approach to monitoring.
To date, Selwood Housing has:
- Over 250 properties actively monitored through HomeLink, with plans to include an additional 100 properties in 2026.
- More than 2,000 connected devices across its housing stock, including environmental sensors, fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.
- Continued year-on-year growth as IoT becomes integral to its repairs, compliance and resident engagement strategy.
- Sensors installed in line with BS-40101.
Adapting to Awaab’s Law
The implementation of Awaab’s Law in England has brought significant change across the sector, introducing strict timeframes for housing providers to investigate and address hazards such as damp and mould. This has made environmental sensors even more essential for housing providers. For Selwood Housing, these changes have required a shift in operational focus, including:
- The need for continuous, accurate data is higher than ever.
- Property surveyors now undertake more front-loaded investigations and reporting to meet statutory deadlines.
- Post-repair monitoring validates improvements or identifies early warning signs if conditions deteriorate.
Quarterly visits were previously scheduled for up to 12 months following repairs, whereas now Aico’s sensors provide the majority of the ongoing oversight. This ensures that Selwood Housing can monitor property conditions remotely, validating the success of repairs while quickly detecting if further action is needed. The insights provided by HomeLink play a critical role in demonstrating compliance, prioritising caseloads and ensuring that each home remains safe long after the initial intervention.
Robert McFerran, senior damp and mould surveyor, Selwood Housing, said, “The monitoring system has made a real difference to how we identify problems. We receive weekly reports highlighting properties at higher risk of damp and mould, cold home risk, excess heat or poor indoor air quality.
“For example, a recent report flagged a steady rise in humidity in a home. Our damp and mould team discovered the levels had been increasing over a couple of weeks, suggesting a ventilation problem.
“After visiting the property, we found that the bathroom extractor fan had a fault and once repaired, the humidity levels returned to normal. This proactive approach helps us manage risks effectively and support customers before problems escalate.”
The HomeLink app
A core part of Selwood Housing’s strategy isn’t just responding to problems but empowering residents to prevent them from recurring. The HomeLink resident app plays a key role in this approach.
McFerran said, “Introducing the HomeLink app has been a smooth and positive process. Engagement has been strong and our customers like having a simple, clear way to see what’s happening in their homes.”
The app supports education, awareness and behavioural change, helping residents to become active partners in maintaining healthy homes. One Selwood Housing resident said, “The app has been helpful. It’s easy to understand and shows what’s going on without guesswork. The whole experience has been straightforward and stress-free.”
The HomeLink resident app provides:
- Healthy home indicators – real-time temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide levels.
- Tailored recommendations – personalised advice based on sensor data.
- Damp and mould alerts – early warnings with practical prevention tips.
- Fire and carbon monoxide alarm reminders – prompts to test life-safety devices.
- Trusted viewers – secure access for family members, carers or support networks.
Growth & innovation
Selwood Housing’s work with Aico has moved far beyond its original 2023 pilot project. What began as a simple product installation has become a comprehensive, technology-enhanced approach to property management which supports compliance, empowers residents and enables genuinely proactive maintenance.
As the housing provider continues to expand IoT monitoring across its housing stock, its partnership with Aico remains rooted in collaboration, continuous improvement and a shared goal of healthier homes and improved well-being for every resident.
Peter Price-Higgott is the relationship manager for Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Avon at Aico.
For further details, please see: www.aico.co.uk.
