Macroeconomics, maintenance & centralisation
Residents are at the heart of housing providers’ operations, and residents’ experience of repairs and maintenance services, whether provided in-house or through contractors, is the key to achieving high satisfaction levels.
We recently commissioned a resident-centric report, ‘Experience is Everything’, exploring the macroeconomic context that has created the ongoing housing and cost-of-living crises which continue to put pressure on the finances of residents and their families.
Survey of 1,000 residents
Plentific, which provides an end-to-end property operations platform connecting housing providers and service providers with residents, conducted a survey of more than 1,000 residents in the UK, US and German markets in which we operate, regarding the maintenance and upkeep of their homes.
Successive macroeconomic shocks have touched all corners of society; the pandemic and geopolitical turbulence have squeezed household incomes and exacerbated everyday costs for residents.
Problems and delays
Our report shows that maintenance problems and delays in their resolution have impacted more than 70 per cent of UK renters over the last year, with younger residents suffering from the most frequent maintenance problems; we have all seen media coverage relating to disrepairs and the negative impact that has on housing providers’ reputations.
The insecurity of households across the UK is exacerbated by persistent problems with the maintenance and upkeep of their homes. This is a significant drain on time and resources, driving a rising number of residents deeper into financial hardship; more than half of residents (61 per cent) reported that their general living expenses have significantly increased over the past year.
Conversely, landlords are contending with the rising cost of energy and higher material costs for construction and maintenance. Working alongside the UK housing sector and adding value across more than 1.5 million homes, I see committed professionals striving really hard to improve repairs and maintenance services for residents.
Technology is well placed to address pain points for housing providers and their residents, reducing operational overheads and saving time and money.
The maintenance challenge
Our research explores the scale of the challenge, with 73 per cent of UK social housing residents experiencing maintenance problems in the past 12 months.
Unresolved maintenance problems, including damp and mould, have a negative impact on residents’ mental health and wellbeing, with 50 per cent of residents saying that poor maintenance management makes them concerned for the safety of their families.
Moreover, household temperature problems account for 36 per cent of maintenance complaints, which is of particular concern given the rising cost of energy which hits hardest during the winter months.
Remodelling communication channels
The inability to optimise property management functions, coupled with a lack of proactive communication channels between housing providers and residents, is hampering the liveability of homes across the UK, creating additional financial stress for households.
In terms of engagement, with the rise of social media, residents have high expectations of effective communication levels from housing providers, with 96 per cent of residents surveyed considering ‘responsiveness to reported maintenance problems’ important.
Just 23 per cent of UK social housing residents reported receiving real-time updates on their maintenance complaints, and 18 per cent of residents said they had never received an update on the resolution of problems they had experienced in their homes.
Centralisation & digitalisation
If ineffective property management and limited communication channels are the cause of negative perceptions, the centralisation, digitalisation and overall optimisation of these functions represent a compelling solution.
Technology provides the opportunity for housing providers to enhance residents’ experience of repairs and maintenance. Communication channels between housing providers and their residents need to be remodelled to enhance repairs and maintenance performance, with technology being well placed to help housing providers to listen more attentively to their residents.
A tech-driven approach to property management
To preserve value and improve residents’ overall experience, housing providers should embrace a more tech-driven approach to property management.
When asked to rate how valuable various features would be as part of a dedicated communications app, 90 per cent of social housing residents indicated a preference for functions that enable them to self-serve the logging of maintenance problems 24/7 and schedule maintenance visits at times which suit, with 91 per cent welcoming real-time updates for unresolved concerns.
This demand for a centralised communication platform, accessible by residents, landlords and property managers, aims to streamline maintenance responses and create more direct lines of feedback in real-time.
Plentific’s data-driven property operations platform includes inspection and work order management functions, compliance and resident engagement features and supply chain management tools to streamline operations, unlock resources and enhance resident satisfaction, ensuring property managers have access to a one-stop-shop for maintenance and operations.
Centralised digital property management
A clear solution is open to social landlords in the form of centralised property management functions. More than 60 per cent of UK social housing residents surveyed said they would prefer to have a dedicated app to report home issues to landlords and property managers, rising to 72 per cent for the under-30s.
Our report unlocks new ways in which technology can facilitate more positive relationships between housing providers and their residents, improving overall satisfaction levels and easing the strain on household finances.
Tellingly, our data reveals a clear preference among residents of all ages (but particularly those in their 30s and younger) for the digitalisation and centralisation of property management tools.
Residents’ preferences
To preserve value and enhance the resident experience, housing providers should embrace a more tech-driven approach to property management. Reflecting residents’ preferences, as shown by our research, housing providers need to centralise and digitalise their property management functions into accessible and streamlined platforms, enhancing communication channels in order to accelerate more thorough maintenance solutions.
By embracing technology, housing providers are using ‘tech for good’ and enriching residents’ lives. Here at Plentific, we are driven to add genuine social value across the UK housing sector, to build and develop stronger, more sustainable communities which are empowered to proactively tackle the macroeconomic challenges we all face.
Cem Savas is the CEO of Plentific.
