Five Data-Driven Fixes to Help Housing Providers Overcome Repairs and Maintenance Challenges
The financial pressure on social landlords has never been greater. According to the Regulator of Social Housing’s 2024 Global Accounts data, English housing associations spent a record £5.5bn on repairs and maintenance last year — a 13% (£1bn) increase from 2023, and a staggering 55% above pre-pandemic levels. As repairs spending is projected to rise to £10bn annually over the next five years, while surpluses continue to shrink, housing providers must act swiftly and smartly to deliver high-quality services without compromising financial stability.
Compounding this challenge is an evolving regulatory environment. The introduction of Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) and the imminent rollout of Awaab’s Law have brought renewed scrutiny to repairs and maintenance performance. For landlords, these changes present both a challenge and an opportunity: a challenge to meet rising expectations, and an opportunity to use data more effectively to drive improvements.
Below, we explore five data-driven fixes that can help providers reduce repairs costs, improve social housing compliance, and transition from reactive to proactive repairs strategies — all while improving outcomes for residents.
1. Spot Repeat Repairs Using Pattern Analysis
Many housing associations lose valuable time and money chasing the same issues over and over again — from persistent boiler faults to recurring damp and mould complaints. Identifying these patterns isn’t always easy, especially when data is siloed across systems or not recorded consistently.
By leveraging repairs data in social housing, providers can detect trends at the property, component, or contractor level. Mobysoft’s RepairSense uses machine learning to surface insights from thousands of historical repairs records, enabling landlords to take action before small issues escalate into costly or hazardous disrepair.
This pattern recognition doesn’t just boost operational efficiency — it also plays a vital role in delivering better service under the new TSMs and mitigating risk under Awaab’s Law.
2. Close the Feedback Loop on Contractor Performance
A common blind spot in repairs performance lies with contractor oversight. Are repair jobs being completed to a high standard? Are targets for first-time fixes being met? And are contractors following up when required?
Repairs data in social housing can be used to track contractor performance in real time, providing evidence-based insights into job quality, completion rates, tenant satisfaction, and more. With this information, asset teams can hold partners to account, renegotiate contracts, or reassign work based on actual outcomes — not just anecdotal feedback.
Better oversight helps to reduce repairs costs in housing associations by ensuring resources are spent on effective interventions, rather than follow-up visits or complaints resolution. For guidance on selecting effective repair management solutions, consider Mobysoft’s insights on choosing a repair management solution for social housing.
3. Identify Compliance Risks Before They Escalate
With increasing scrutiny from the RSH and Ombudsman, and new legislation such as Awaab’s Law coming into force, proactive compliance management has become essential. This includes responding to damp and mould issues within set timeframes, evidencing action taken, and maintaining a safe living environment for all tenants.
Social housing compliance in repairs depends on having robust systems to monitor and manage risk. By combining structured repairs data with other data sources — such as property archetypes, geography, and tenant-reported issues — providers can flag high-risk properties early and triage cases before they result in complaints, media coverage, or legal action.
This proactive approach is essential to maintain regulatory confidence, support vulnerable tenants, and avoid reputational damage.
4. Lay the Groundwork for AI Adoption
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers game-changing potential for the housing sector — especially when it comes to repairs. From predicting component failures to automating triage and scheduling, AI in repairs management can transform service delivery and efficiency. But without the right foundations, AI alone can’t fix broken processes.
Before adopting AI, housing providers must prioritise data quality, consistency, and governance. That includes addressing challenges like inconsistent repair categorisation, missing job completion data, and fragmented systems.
Just as important is cultural readiness. Teams must understand the value of data, be trained on new systems, and feel confident engaging with AI-powered platforms like RepairSense. Executive sponsorship and cross-team collaboration are critical to long-term success.
Only by investing in these foundations can providers unlock the full value of AI in repairs management — turning today’s cost centres into tomorrow’s efficiency engines.
5. Shift to a Proactive Repairs Strategy
Traditionally, the sector has operated on a reactive model: waiting for something to go wrong before fixing it. But with costs rising and resident expectations evolving, that model is no longer sustainable.
By adopting a proactive repairs strategy, supported by data and AI, landlords can reduce call volumes, lower per-repair costs, and extend the lifespan of key components. Predictive analytics can flag when boilers or roofs are likely to fail based on usage patterns, past repairs, and asset condition — enabling teams to intervene early and avoid emergency callouts.
This shift also supports stronger TSM performance, as tenants experience fewer breakdowns and faster resolutions. For finance and asset teams, it represents one of the most effective ways to reduce repairs costs while maintaining service quality.
The Bottom Line: Smarter Repairs for a Stronger Sector
With repairs spending reaching unsustainable levels and regulation tightening, housing providers can’t afford to stick with the status quo. But by embracing smarter use of repairs data in social housing, building internal data capability, and deploying technologies like RepairSense, providers can unlock real efficiencies — while delivering better outcomes for residents.Mobysoft
Each of these five fixes offers a practical, proven path to making repairs services more cost-effective, compliant, and tenant-focused. Together, they can help social landlords navigate a complex landscape with confidence and clarity.
Ready to harness the power of data and AI in your repairs strategy? Download Mobysoft’s Introducing AI Into Your Organisation and Becoming a Data-Led Organisation guides for practical insights on building a strong data foundation ahead of adopting AI. Then, see how it all comes together in action — watch our short RepairSense overview video to discover how you can use data to drive efficiencies and improve repairs performance.
- Five Data-Driven Fixes to Help Housing Providers Overcome Repairs and Maintenance Challenges - May 14, 2025
- Why Trade Supervisor Meetings Are Key to Repair Success (and How Data Can Make Them Better) - January 15, 2025
- Top 5 Tips for Empowering Repairs & Maintenance Trades Colleagues - April 9, 2024