How can AI benefit the Social Housing sector? Part 1

9 June 2023

We have found that the breadth, depth and application of AI and automation varies significantly from sector to sector. However, there are still a lot of similarities between sectors, and there’s a lot we can learn from each industry. We believe that many organisations can benefit from understanding how AI is being applied elsewhere – both to see how they compare and to get ideas on what is possible.

To kick things off, we are focusing on how AI can benefit the Social Housing sector.

What are the sector’s key challenges?

Technology has not always been a priority in the sector but that has changed significantly over the past decade. An element of this change was driven by increasing expectations from Housing Associations to start engaging with and treating their residents as customers.

Many Housing Associations have chosen to explore how technology can improve operations and the services offered to their residents. AI and automation are only just emerging as a tool that could help the housing but there are several reasons why that would be a highly successful fit.

Lots of residents

Housing Associations provide homes for a large amount of residents. For example, the UK’s largest Housing Association, Clarion Housing, owns and manages over 125,000 homes across the country, housing over 360,000 people. The cost and effort involved in communicating, understanding, helping and retaining that volume of customers is significant.

Limited budget

Housing Associations are not for profit organisations – all revenue generated is re-invested into the purchasing and maintenance of properties, running the organisation and providing services to their residents. Consequently, cost saving initiatives are a high priority.

Complex needs

The 2018 Government Green Paper, “A New Deal for Social Housing”, found that there was at least one vulnerable family member in approximately half of the 8,000 households surveyed. This includes people fleeing domestic abuse, facing homelessness, those with learning difficulties and/or mental health problems.

Housing Associations recognise the importance of meeting the broad and varied needs of vulnerable residents. This is far from easy though as establishing consistent contact can sometimes be more difficult and unpredictable.

Growing expectations

Each new generation of Housing Association residents have higher expectations in terms of the services they receive and the use of technology in their everyday lives. They expect a higher level of flexibility when accessing services, which makes the use of intelligent solutions key for success. Meeting these growing expectations without a huge budget for innovation can be a challenge.

Efficient asset management

Housing Associations typically have a large stock of properties and assets within those properties. These need regular servicing, maintenance and/or replacement. As well as responding to customer requests for fixes, management of assets and this scale is no small task.

Regulations

Housing Associations must comply with regulations set by the Regulator of Social Housing. These span their properties, tenancies, community and tenant engagement. Automation can ensure that regulatory activities are completed and then recorded as required.

Above are just some of the many challenges that are being faced by organisations in the Social Housing sector. There are many more, all of which vary from organisation to organisation. One thing most of these issues have in common is the ability to be resolved with the help of AI and automation. Providing better customer experience, cutting costs and saving valuable time are just some of the benefits that Housing Associations can reap when choosing to incorporate AI into their operations.

If you’d like to learn more about how AI can help the Social Housing sector, don’t miss out on reading Part 2 of this blog series.