By Lin Colson, Interim Executive Director, Business Architect and Strategic Property leader.
Insights from Experience
I have worked in commercial companies and in housing associations, and I know which is easier. The utter dependency of every commercial organization on the willingness of a customer to spend money is salutary. Every day businesses must focus on the customer, or they die. On the other hand, housing associations do not fight for customers, they do not have to think about pricing, and they are not competing with a better offer. Sadly, the daily dedication to customer service is not a key driver.
The Power Dynamics in Housing
In truth, commercial organizations recognize that the customer has power. Because social housing tenants lack consumer power, associations often use proxies to understand their tenants. They bring in consultants to interpret what the tenants really want; they have lots of surveys and consultation events; they set up standing groups to look at communications, disabilities, or contract management, for example. These laborious methods, which are very boring for the average tenant, may have some benefit for landlords, but it’s no substitute for a customer with choice and agency about their own home.
Because tenants can’t shop around to find a better landlord, in effect, we expect them to tolerate their homes.
Introducing the Open Data Exchange
The Open Data Exchange challenges this approach (which arises because our resources are constrained). The idea is to make available to the tenant everything the landlord knows about the home (including the investment plan). When I first heard this idea I liked it, but I could sense danger. A fully informed tenant might be more demanding, requiring more time and resources than we had available. Also, I knew full well that our existing data was sketchy in parts and often just plain wrong.
Embracing Transparency and Change
But despite my hesitations, I believe ODX could be our best chance of demonstrating to our critics that we are putting the customer first. Taking a different approach with a sub-section of customers (perhaps all new tenants) would allow us to untether our services from the limitations imposed by historic lack of investment, poor data, and cost constraints. We could offer open data to a group of tenants, create a different service offering to see what happens. Giving tenants more power to engage might change relationships for the better and might create a greater understanding of the different choices and economics of home improvement from a landlord and tenant perspective. A pilot could show what can be done through full disclosure, engagement, and empowerment. We would not be creating a two-tier service so much as showcasing what is possible when we aren’t constrained by our current environment.
A New Contract with Tenants
Agreeing on a new contract with the tenants as a home consumer, starting by giving them access to our data on their homes via ODX, creates an opportunity. They could input correct data, filling the empty fields and expressing their experience of their home and what we could do to increase their “satisfaction.” Decisions made in partnership with the tenant would surely be superior to the decisions the professionals (like me) are able to make with our spreadsheets, stock condition surveys, and dodgy data. I have always found tenants very reasonable about what is achievable when financial plans are shared and discussed; those of us living on a budget are quite good at prioritization. Surely we can take a limited leap into this approach?
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