The report says that landlords do not need to wait for IT solutions to make use of resident data
Social landlords do not need to wait for complex IT solutions and automation to collect and use data, the National Housing Federation has argued.
In its latest report, ‘Making Every Contact Count’, the trade body urged landlords to start collecting and manually analysing resident data until they have access to automated tools.
Building on the Better Social Housing Review, jointly published by the NHF and the Chartered Institute of Housing in 2022, which recommended that social landlords improve how they use data, the report draws on case studies to set out how this can be achieved.
The NHF suggests that landlords regularly check and refresh personal data during interactions with residents. Findings from the research indicate that they prefer face-to-face communication over digital methods for data collection. The NHF suggests this could be because “it is an easier way to implement a new way of working”.
Despite this, the NHF noted that “Some organisations are making strong early steps using digital channels.”
In addition, the report emphasised that the questions that social landlords ask their residents must be appropriate to the setting, particularly where sensitive data is concerned.
“While it may be reasonable to ask a gas engineer to look for damp on their visit, it may not always be appropriate for the gas engineer to ask a resident about their ethnicity or sexuality”, the report noted.
The report distinguishes between data and triggers, defining data as specific pieces of information, e.g., “who lives in the home?”. Triggers are questions aimed at identifying concerns and prompting action, e.g., “are there any safeguarding concerns?”.
The NHF said that organisations interviewed for case studies reported little or no resistance from residents on the extra information requested, though they emphasised that trigger questions should be asked discreetly.
‘Making Every Contact Count’ emphasises that data is a “building block” and actionable insights are what matter. To decide which data is needed, the report recommends that social landlords start from the actionable insight desired, and work backwards.
Based on interviews with registered providers, the ’Making every contact count’ approach increases demand on resources, affecting staff time rather than creating additional financial costs.
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However, landlords believe the effort is worthwhile, noting they are in a “better place” as a result. Nonetheless, the NHF emphasises that social landlords must prepare for this increased workload and find effective ways to manage the rise in repair requests and safeguarding reports.
Alistair Smyth, director of research and policy at the NHF, said: “The invaluable contributions to this report from across the sector build on our ongoing work to support social landlords to implement the recommendations of the Better Social Housing Review. This report outlines how important it is for landlords to build a trusting relationship with their residents, and the importance of knowing our homes and knowing our residents.
“By making every contact with residents count, the sector can be confident that we’re taking every opportunity to ensure that our core offer of a good quality, safe and affordable home with good services is being delivered. By growing our understanding of the needs of both our homes and residents, it will also stand us in good stead for the future.”
Elly Hoult, chief operating officer at Peabody Group and chair of the Knowing our Homes advisory group, said:“As chair of the Knowing our Homes advisory group, I’m pleased to support this report. Good quality data is a key tool for social landlords, to make sure we understand residents’ needs and the condition of their homes.“Given the wide range of competing demands on our resources, it’s important that we find the most efficient and effective ways of gathering and updating the information we need. Making every contact with residents count is vital for all social landlords – we already use it to shape our work at Peabody.
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