In this blog post, find out about our work to explore solutions to the data challenges faced by the social housing sector. 

Why we are focusing on data

There are some large, well-documented problems within social housing including the housing emergency, barriers to first-time homeownership for young people, and financial sustainability of the sector as a whole.

A key challenge is unconnected technology systems that can’t share data with each other. Social housing providers find it difficult to access, combine, and use data. Different systems often can’t communicate with each other, leading to operational inefficiencies and ultimately resulting in poorer outcomes for residents.

For example, research from our discovery project estimates that time and effort equivalent to £400m is wasted annually for just two services – repairs and allocations. In contrast, a sector that understands its data can deliver high quality, efficient services and better outcomes for tenants and communities.

A strategic approach to support the sector

There has been some great work done on housing data standards, but wide scale adoption has been difficult. We want to support conversations between Local Digital, housing policy teams, and other sector stakeholders to explore models for developing UK housing data standards. 

During our discovery and alpha phases, we developed a broad picture of the issues associated with data in housing services. Now, in our role as ‘steward of the sector’, we want to use our position to influence change when it comes to data standards. 

Our long term strategy is centred around five outcomes:

• build a social housing data community
• find a sector ownership model for social housing data standards
• prioritise and develop / refine data standards
• design services to support the adoption of standards
• define the value and case for change

We will start with social housing data standards that benefit both tenants and housing providers.

Building a social housing data community

We’re building a community to own, advocate, and tackle some of the fundamental data challenges in the sector. The community will comprise of three working groups:

• housing associations
• local authorities
• technology suppliers

These groups, alongside the experience of Housing Associations Charitable Trust (HACT) and Open Data Institute (ODI), will work together to advise and create a shared vision for social housing technology and data. Through devolved ownership that empowers experts across the sector, the community will collaborate to help test, refine, and implement data standards. Ultimately, they will drive the strategy and unlock opportunities to improve housing and create better outcomes for residents. 

Find out more and get involved

To join the community, please email the housing data team.

You can find detailed information about our insights to date in our discovery report. An overview of our work on data standards can be found on this webpage.  

In the coming months we’ll share regular updates on our work to improve data standards in housing services and opportunities to join the community. 

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