06 March 2024
Chris Jones, chief executive officer, Aico|HomeLINK
According to the Housing Ombudsman’s Annual Complaints Review 2022–2023, the social housing sector has seen more than a four-fold increase in serious failures or delays by landlords over the last 12 months. The Ombudsman branded this a “sobering overview” of the situation across England after receiving over 5,000 complaints that were escalated for formal investigation; a 27% increase on the previous year and a record high.
The spike in complaints came as a result of poor property conditions (37%), health and safety complaints (52%) and bad handling of complaints (39%), all of which paint a picture of challenging social housing conditions.
“By installing environmental sensors in high-risk areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms, housing providers can measure factors contributing to damp and mould, such as temperature, humidity, and ventilation.”
Gaining a central view of all property conditions is essential to decrease tenant complaints and improve residents’ health and safety. The simple step of implementing Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and connected home technology is emerging as an effective strategy for landlords (both public and private), to monitor the condition of properties. In implementing IoT smart home devices landlords bring a new level of efficiency to the management and monitoring of the health of their housing stock, while also improving the wellbeing of residents.
Property condition monitoring
There is an urgent need to understand and address the health risks of damp and mould in homes. Guidance issued by three UK Government departments aims to ensure every person in the country lives in a home that is safe, warm and dry. Recommendations for the report include the use of smart sensors to monitor the condition of properties.
Solutions which include a network of alarms and sensors offer social housing landlords access to a scalable and future-proof approach to their IoT strategy. A portal and connected devices provide the information those landlords value most, to optimise investment, identify and tackle fuel poverty, improve maintenance and deliver unrivalled service to all tenants.
Moreover, the UK government’s endorsement of sensor technology as the best practice for damp and mould is echoed by other authorities. The Housing Ombudsman’s follow-up report to its spotlight on damp and mould indicates a proactive shift in the social housing sector towards the adoption and integration of sensor systems, not just as a passive measure but as a proactive instrument for managing and resolving damp and mould challenges.
By installing environmental sensors in high-risk areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms and living rooms, housing providers can measure factors contributing to damp and mould, such as temperature, humidity, and ventilation. These sensors also provide calculated insights into allergens and heat loss risk. These insights can be used by landlords to tackle issues such as disrepair and fuel poverty thereby enabling landlords to proactively address these issues before they escalate into larger complaints.
Preventative maintenance and other IoT benefits for landlords
Social housing providers will see a return on investment thanks to IoT technology identifying maintenance issues early and encouraging proactive measures for timely fixes. By analysing data to understand the health and safety of housing stock, landlords can identify properties most at risk of disrepair and step in when warning signs are detected. This is particularly relevant in addressing the challenges laid out by the Housing Ombudsman regarding delays and failures in managing housing conditions. Other benefits that IoT brings include improving maintenance and repair efforts, increasing efficiency and enhancing resident satisfaction, plus reducing operational costs and improving remote management.
Moreover, apps for residents are another innovative step in this direction. By providing residents with access to recommendations and advice, it empowers them to take an active role in the maintenance of their living conditions and home life safety. Equipping residents with the knowledge and advice they need can help in minimising issues such as fire risk, disrepair and fuel poverty; landlords will see improvements in the maintenance of their housing stock with less intervention. This can enhance the relationship between landlords and their tenants, and this proactive engagement helps to reduce the incidence and severity of damp and mould issues, in line with the Housing Ombudsman’s emphasis on better tenant-landlord communication.
Protecting residents and housing stock without in-person checks
A connected home IoT-enabled portal facilitates remote management across an entire housing portfolio. Having direct centralised access to the relevant sensors’ data, housing providers can understand where potential problems may occur and target the homes that need immediate attention, allocating resources where they are needed most to ensure residents’ homes remain healthy. This proactive approach to asset management reduces the time and cost associated with reactive measures.
Remote management of a housing portfolio enables landlords to track the performance of their connected alarm system and indoor environmental conditions without performing in-person checks. All the information stored in one central location provides landlords with the full picture. This provides reassurance that residents are protected and that housing stock is fully compliant.
Having access to these in-depth reporting tools enables landlords to forecast alarm replacement and maintenance, helping to streamline maintenance, therefore, reducing call-out costs. When overcoming challenges related to accessing properties, language barriers, and communication gaps between landlords and residents, IoT technology always proves itself to be instrumental. It not only streamlines maintenance and reduces costs but also ensures complete compliance with housing regulations as they may change and any new legislation that is introduced.
Using IoT technology and connected home sensors can also help landlords monitor the occupancy of housing units to avoid overcrowding while regularly reviewing and sharing data in real-time for energy efficiency, temperature and humidity, ventilation, and smoke and indoor carbon levels.
There is a fundamental gap between some of the services landlords deliver and the expectations of their residents, so communication must always be a key factor. But, combined with open communication channels, integrating IoT solutions is a proactive way for housing providers and landlords to address damp and mould concerns, creating healthier and more comfortable living spaces for residents.
