Inside Housing – Sponsored – How smart devices are changing homes

What might the future hold? How do you see this technology developing?

This technology is saving property owners money, it’s getting better and better, and the costs are coming down. I think it’s inevitable that one day it will be implemented everywhere.

If anything, regulation will speed up this process. It could become a legal requirement to install this technology if, over time, we can demonstrate through data that a landlord or tenant who has a fire and CO alarm connected is safer than those living in homes without them.

How can housing providers make the most of this technology – and what do they need to consider before implementing it?

Owners should start with a clear idea of ​​the results they want to achieve. This is crucial before you start implementing this technology.

Once installed, you need people who can use the data captured by the sensors and act on it. For example, quite often we see damp and mould teams operating around our software dashboard and tracking case information that way.

So if you’re an owner who doesn’t have a team like that yet, that’s something to consider. But overall, you need to think about how you’re going to use the data.

You need to think about your own processes and how they need to be adjusted to get the results you want, and then make sure you have a way to measure success against those processes.

It’s also important to emphasise that the value isn’t just in the data, but in how it’s applied. For large landlords, we often find that the technology can be used primarily by the team that deployed it for one purpose – for example, detecting damp and mould – even though there are other benefits on offer, such as identifying people who are fuel poor or need other types of support.

So people need to be able to understand the full scope of what the data is telling them – but technology providers like us also have a responsibility to ensure that we simplify things as much as possible to make data analysis as easy as possible to read and understand.

How important is resident involvement?

This is really important – in fact, it is the optimal way for property owners to achieve the desired results.

The analyses we offer, the ability to monitor the condition of the home using the application and the impact of this situation on the health and safety of household members – the ability to access this information is very valuable for residents.

It gives people the opportunity to take care of their health and feel safe – and for owners of social housing, this is a win-win situation.

The residents are happier, but they also have people who are more involved because they are interested in any issues that may arise in their home.

With today’s technology, tenants can take a photo of the fault, upload it to servers and re-upload it after the landlord intervenes to make sure the solution worked.

This is a more profitable solution for the owner who does not have to send employees, and the life of the resident is easier because he does not have to take a day off from work.

That’s why tenant engagement is key. It’s not just a matter of ticking boxes, it’s the best way to achieve the results landlords want – and can even strengthen the landlord-tenant relationship.