The BHSR panel’s recommendation that social landlords improve how they use data to equitably deliver services led to the creation of Knowing our Homes, which is supported by the NFA and other stakeholders across the social housing sector.

Today’s publication shows how using routine and planned interactions with residents as opportunities to gather information about the condition of homes and individual need can inform proactive support from landlords and timely resolution of repairs and maintenance problems.

Homes in Sedgemoor (HiS) explain how their ambition to improve data gathering led to restructuring staff into four community-focused teams, moving away from the more traditional grouping of staff by function (page 23 of the report).

This, combined with the introduction of hand-held data gathering digital tools that feed into HiS and its parent council systems, makes it possible for staff  to input data on the ground at the moment they spot a problem or are given information by residents. This is helping to create more joined-up service delivery, and HiS hopes that planned IT improvements will make the new system even better.

The report is based on interviews conducted by Campbell Tickell with 10 other social housing providers. Each is presented as a separate case study, together with an explanation of the common themes, challenges and opportunities. It is published by the National Housing Federation.