Social housing repairs and maintenance costs continue to rise at an alarming rate. In a recent publication by the Regulator of Social Housing’s (RSH) Global Accounts (covering 200 private registered providers), housing associations spent £8.8bn on repairs and maintenance between April 2023 and March 2024. This represented a 14.3% increase on the previous year’s figure and 55% (£3.1bn) above pre-pandemic levels.
The RSH Global Accounts 2024 also revealed that providers spent £15bn on development for the year, a 10% increase on the £13.7bn reported in 2023. Projected spending on repairs and maintenance has increased by 11% on last year’s plans – equivalent to £10bn per annum over the next five years.
This means that housing associations will continue to face difficult decisions between maintaining financial resilience and investing in new and existing properties. Unfortunately, many social housing providers will have to scale back their development ambitions to focus on investing in existing homes.
As we continue to grapple with increasing inflation and economic pressures in the UK, the financial strain of maintaining properties is likely to worsen before it improves. Especially once you’ve factored in the rising cost of raw materials, labour shortages, booming energy prices and the UK’s ageing housing stock (apologies for the doom and gloom).
For housing associations, this translates to tighter budgets and a negative impact on the quality of work, which ultimately will affect tenants.
However, all hope is not lost, as innovative solutions – such as ROCC’s advanced software – are on hand to provide a beacon of hope to mitigate these rising repairs and maintenance costs.
ROCC’s software: A game-changer for fighting booming costs
As a leader in software solutions for effective repairs and maintenance management, ROCC offers a market-leading service tailored to housing associations who want to reduce costs and overcome other industry challenges.
Here’s how ROCC’s software can help reduce repairs and maintenance costs and improve efficiency:
- Streamlined operations: Centralised data and automated workflows help to reduce administrative overhead. Housing associations can benefit from more efficient scheduling, invoicing and resource allocation. This frees up staff for higher-priority work and reduces wasted hours.
- Predictive maintenance: ROCC’s software leverages data analytics to predict when and where maintenance is needed. This helps organisations to stay ahead of the game, addressing issues before they become costly repairs.
- Optimised resource allocation: The right resources are deployed to the right tasks at the right time, so organisations can embrace lower operating costs by reducing wasted labour and materials.
- Enhanced supplier management: ROCC’s system facilitates better collaboration and communication with suppliers and contractors, ensuring competitive pricing and timely delivery of services.
- Improved resident satisfaction: Residents benefit from an improvement in the delivery of repairs and maintenance, thanks to faster response times and a transparent process. Say goodbye to tenant complaints.
- Scalability and integration: ROCC’s solutions are scalable and can integrate seamlessly with existing systems. This means ROCC’s software is suitable for housing associations of all sizes (and budgets).
ROCC’s software has the potential to make a real-world impact. Housing associations that have partnered with us have all reported measurable cost savings and operational improvements. This includes reducing unnecessary expenses, improving planning and scheduling and enhancing the overall efficiency of repairs and maintenance.
For example, after partnering with ROCC, Thirteen Group managed to reduce the cost of repairs by £500,000 and First Choice Homes Oldham was able to save more than £750,000 in the delivery of repairs and maintenance within the first two years.
With the rising cost of repairs and maintenance in the UK presenting a significant challenge, ROCC’s software offers a robust solution for housing associations seeking a sustainable, cost-effective property management solution
For more information about our best-in-class social housing software, get in touch with a member of our team today.
