“Taking a long-term approach, but engaging early to maximise the benefits”
Jackie Leonard, Head of Member Services (Wales)
- Better planning, leads to better scoping, leads to better implementation and better outcomes
- Important we learn from retrofit activity to date, and engage the supply chain and residents early in the process
- Long-term planning and early engagement can lead to homes that are cheaper to run, nicer to live in and emit less carbon
In a sector where demand is relentless and resources are finite, social housing leaders face a stark challenge: how do we make today’s decisions count for decades to come?
Social housing continues to experience a swathe of competing priorities in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment. In England, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) sets the standards and oversees compliance, ensuring that landlords deliver safe, quality homes and effective services for tenants. In Wales, social housing is governed by a distinct legislative and regulatory framework, primarily under the oversight of the Welsh Government, with key legislation such as the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 setting out the duties and standards for social landlords.
This regulatory environment is tightening, with an increased focus on consumer standards, safety, and transparency. In addition, residents are demanding more – not just in terms of quality and safety, but also in how their voices are heard and acted upon.
At the same time, external pressures such as climate change, economic uncertainty, and demographic shifts require us to think differently about how we invest in our homes and communities. The need for decarbonisation, supporting an ageing population, and tackling the cost-of-living crisis are just a few of the issues that demand a strategic, future-focused approach.
It requires a long-term view and approach.
Long-term planning in housing is about more than setting distant targets; it’s about understanding the trajectory of your stock, your services, and your community needs. It means aligning investment decisions with organisational values and resident priorities. It’s about building in resilience, so you’re ready not just for today’s challenges, but for those that will emerge five, ten, or even thirty years from now.
This though is a feature of the sector. With housing providers operating with 30-year business plans it is a methodology they understand. With the best of wills, the transformation of our housing stock to make existing properties energy efficient and fit for the future, alongside building strong portfolios of new affordable and sustainable homes is not going to happen overnight.
With these strong asset management plans in place, and the scale and volume of retrofit of existing social housing becoming more evident, it seems the time is right to stop treating retrofit as a special project and bring it into a “business as usual” activity, to make it central to strategic asset management planning for realising maximum benefit to the resident, but also to the value of the home itself.
Climate change is here now, so we are very much in a period of adaptation to counter the effects of a changing climate on the home. Be that risk from activities like flooding or overheating in summer months.
Also, is retrofit really any different to any other planned works programme. It requires a structured schedule of major maintenance, improvement and replacement activities to the property delivered over a set period – in most cases to meet current government funding programmes criteria. Planned works are the cornerstone of effective asset management; retrofit should be a core component of them.
We have learnt a lot from the retrofit work the sector has undertaken in the last five years, following a trajectory from demonstrators, through to pilot projects to where we are today, undertaking bigger projects in terms of scale and value. To that extent, we have learnt what is involved in a retrofit project, what are the core component parts, the technologies involved and how we approach and manage them. The challenge we now face is one of how we scale up retrofit activity without losing quality.
It is also not just a numbers game. We need to develop a clear understanding of what residents want from their home and make sure the solutions and interventions implemented manage to meet those needs. Today are we employing a product/solutions first approach to retrofit and would we better off in in producing solutions that meet residents’ needs and requirements. Would this help to boost resident engagement in retrofit programmes?
Most of the retrofit work in the social housing sector is dictated by government funding schemes. Whilst the funding is greatly welcomed it also comes with strict timelines to implement and deliver putting pressure on the supply chain. If retrofit became more of a planned strategic asset management process, would the signals to the market become clearer on the level of demand that needs to be fulfilled – be that labour or materials, and provide a greater confidence for the supply chain to invest to meet?
If long-term planning is the map, then early conversations are the compass. Engaging residents, staff, and stakeholders at the outset of any major project ensures that plans are grounded and reflect the needs and aspirations of the end recipient – in this instance the resident. The baseline also needs to be accurate – the importance of surveying and good data.
Early engagement is not just a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a regulatory expectation and a business imperative. The Social Housing (Regulation) Act and the new consumer standards covering England place a premium on transparency, accountability, and meaningful resident involvement. Early conversations help build trust, reduce the risk of costly disputes, and lead to better, more sustainable outcomes.
Learnings from early retrofit projects have also shown the value of early engagement with the supply chain. We need to be exploiting the learnings from this early activity to shape how we deliver projects in the future. This is an ongoing process of learning and adapting. The earlier we bring specialist input into the process through advisors, procurement specialists and the wider supply chain, it allows for the improvement of scoping of projects, reducing the risk of the project and better value for money.
Retrofit is also a local activity. It happens in a community. This would seem to present some opportunities.
Using local suppliers allows you to build a “local vision” for retrofit. It also brings an understanding and knowledge of local issues, and it can also produce local economic opportunities and benefits to help regenerate communities. It can also build trust with residents as they see solutions that are provided to them by local people.
In many ways it is our approach to retrofit which will determine the solutions we ultimately get.
Employing a planned approach provides many benefits – better value for money, improved resident outcomes, regulatory compliance and organisational resilience.
Early engagement with residents, local partners, and regulatory bodies is crucial. In England, the RSH’s new consumer standards require landlords to involve tenants in shaping services and responding to complaints. In Wales, social landlords are expected to consult with tenants and communities, in line with statutory guidance issued under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014. The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 also places clear obligations on landlords regarding secure and suitable homes, further underlining the importance of proactive engagement.
A long-term approach, underpinned by early and meaningful engagement, is essential for social housing providers. Whether working under the Regulator of Social Housing in England or within the legislative framework set by the Welsh Government, the goal
remains the same: delivering safe, sustainable, and high-quality homes for tenants now and into the future.
With retrofit, the sector should really play to its strengths. It has a track record of delivering large programme of planned works. Let’s not treat retrofit any differently. We should also not look to overcomplicate what we are trying to achieve – retrofit is an intervention which allows for a better home – one which is cheaper to run, which is more comfortable to live in, and which takes less (hopefully no) carbon to run.
