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We are all aware of one or two in our neighborhoods I am sure, yes the ‘Fixer-Upper’. Generally a property (or anything else like an ICT system) bought on the cheap purchased with full knowledge that a lot of work, substantial additional time and cash investment would be needed.
That’s all very well with buyers going into that situation with eyes wide open, however what of new renters moving in to a let, then discovering its more a ‘Fixer-Upper’ than a property hitting the landlords ‘Letting standard’ ?
Classic issues in a Fixer-Upper are often damp, roofing and window issues, what might be more commonly referred to in social housing, as Capital Works. Small patches of damp are often caused by plumbing or roofing/draining issues. Typically tenants may report these issue instances via self-service or a call into an RSL contact service centre.
As we know, Westminster Housing & Communities dept, quite rightly are all over this issue at the moment, as can be seen by the initial report findings.
• Landlords relied more heavily on reactive approaches to identifying problems than proactively looking for evidence of damp and mould through surveys of their homes
• had less data or refreshed their data less frequently
• had weaker evidence about their assurance, oversight and understanding of the condition of homes
So how can landlords better use existing or newer Housing Management System solutions, to tackle the above directly?
Well, firstly an emphasis on how complaints and responsive repair requests are diagnosed and progressed. Where damp and mould issues come in as complaints, they should also be logged as a repair request. This is the envelope that can generally encompass pre-inspections, remedy work, post-inspection and follow-up surveys etc. Scripting (the likes of Keyfax, RepairFinder, ActiveHousing etc), can be enhanced around damp and mould, in order to capture additional information. This might include more precise locations in the property for example. IE not just ‘Rear Bedroom’, but in addition precise place(s), eg ‘ceiling next to back wall’, ‘To left of single glazed window’ etc.
Also, capturing extent and images if we can, is important. Tenants should be asked in plain language to determine what size the area is, if they are unable to measure. EG ‘a patch the size of a hand, full length of a wall’ etc.
Where pre-inspections are necessary, these can be specially prioritised and kept within the computer recorded Request. It is likely that an initial inspection will result in work on roof, guttering, plumbing, or other ‘Wet Trades’. I have worked with clients in some of the wettest parts of the UK (yes, wetter even than Manchester!) and generally I have experienced ‘Wet Trade’ operatives to be in short supply, particularly in colder/wetter months.
This can lead to work being deferred or perhaps parked until capital/planned programmes are due, later in the year. To safeguard the chance of the issue not being picked up by these later works, the Request should be kept open. Closing the request in this instance, has not solved the tenants issue, and artificially reports as a successful outcome at the RSL. This is a major danger, particularly if that programmed work on that block/scheme, never takes place or budget is reallocated.
Few asset stock condition surveys that I regularly see in use, actually ask questions specifically around damp & mold. These need to be incorporated if your asset management team have not already done so, in order to direct the surveyors right to it.
Where repeat Requests and customer contact occurs on damp/mould, these point to underlying resident issues not being solved. From the landlords viewpoint, this will no doubt cost more later in damage to the asset. From the tenant viewpoint, service is poor and their health could be placed in danger.
Data, having lots of it current and accurate around condition, is the key to closing out these issues properly and reporting coherently. You would expect by now, the sector was making good use of IOT to monitor properties and heating/ventilation efficiency. We still seem slow to put the Internet Of Things to much use unfortunately. This could be a source of great data. Perhaps a whole future blog there on pioneers doing significant rollouts in 2023.
Recent articles I have read cite ‘Tenant Life style’ as a sometime source of damp and mold issues. While lack of outdoor drying areas, heating/washing habits, occupier behaviours etc, can contribute to these issues, I doubt very much that religious practices and ablutions, rather than poor/expensive heating and noisy/insufficient ventilation, is to blame in many cases.
While we have improved central heating, insulated and double-glazed, we have reduced the amount of default ventilation in our homes too. Some additional communication can be really helpful as regards drying areas, opening windows etc, to tackle those aspects. Residents experiencing challenges in keeping homes sufficiently warm, may also benefit from advice via tenancy sustainment teams. For sure, we are all seeing increased fuel bills, with no early prospect of things normalizing soon. Noting that these types of discussions have taken place in our systems, will be helpful later in better targeting help, with potential reducing budgets.
Our systems can help landlords tackle damp and mould issues from a number of angles. Better the Ukhousing sector starts getting a grip on these issues, way before the regulator, ambulance chasers or God forbid, the coroner comes calling. As ever, remember even the best processes, technology and solutions, requires a good organisation culture too, driven best from the very top.
Related Post: Integrate your stock condition surveys into your HMS data
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Its a fixer upper – Yard Act.
(c) Tony Smith, Acutance Consulting www.acutanceconsulting.co.uk 07854-655009
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