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Guard Rails, Not Handcuffs: Finding the Balance Between Data Governance and Innovation in Housing

In the world of social housing, where pressures around regulation, compliance and customer service never seem to ease, the idea of being able to innovate with data can feel like a pipe dream. Too often, the mere mention of experimentation triggers anxiety around data protection, legacy systems, or the weight of regulatory oversight.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. In the Mobysoft-hosted thought-provoking Moving from Data to Smarter Data panel discussion at Housing 2025, panellist Jason Wickens, CEO of Incito Solutions, captured the challenge perfectly: “Use guard rails, not handcuffs.”

Embedding Data Governance in Social Housing

Wickens’ point was clear. Social landlords need data governance frameworks that keep them safe – but not stuck. Instead of blocking innovation, good governance should support and guide it.

“Very often, governance and innovation are seen as opposing forces,” Wickens said. “But they don’t have to be. In fact, they should work together. The key is to involve your governance people in the innovation from the start. Their job is to keep you safe and honest. But if they don’t know what’s coming, they can only say no.”

Making Housing Data Strategy Everyone’s Job

This isn’t just a message for CIOs or heads of data. According to Wickens’s fellow panellist Rebecca Taylor, Director of Corporate Services at Golding Homes, housing providers have long treated data as a technical challenge for IT teams to manage. “When I first joined, data sat in IT. It was their problem. Their way or no way,” she said. “Now we’re saying to the rest of the business: it’s your data. You own it. You need to look after it.”

That mindset shift is crucial. A housing data strategy can no longer be about locking everything down. It has to empower frontline teams to act on data insights, while also making sure personal and sensitive data is handled responsibly.

Responsible Data Use in Housing

This means rethinking the traditional model of compliance. A report by the Information Commissioner’s Office in late 2023 urged housing providers to “prioritise data protection alongside service innovation,” warning that many were still underestimating the importance of transparency and accountability in digital initiatives.

Wickens agrees that cultural change is just as important as compliance. “Start small. Take one example and see it through to the end. Don’t just do another big three-year transformation. Make it digestible. Make it real.”

Making Innovation Feel Safe and Manageable

The theme of “starting small” came up repeatedly across the panel. Taylor shared how Golding Homes simplified dashboards down to just three core metrics for their repairs team, building confidence and engagement over time. “People were afraid of the data at first,” she said. “They thought it would expose problems or that they’d get it wrong. But when we showed them what it could do – actually help them plan, actually make their jobs easier – they started asking for more.”

Chris Fleck, Chief Product Officer at Mobysoft, made a related point: “It’s about trust – not just in the data, but in the teams using it. If you want people to act on insights, they have to believe in the process. They need to know how the data was made and what they can do with it.”

Data Controls vs Innovation: Building a Better Balance

This is where the sector still has room to grow. As Wickens noted, “I don’t think there’s been negative intent. But I do think there’s been fear. We let regulation become a barrier instead of a baseline.”

So what can housing providers do to build a more balanced approach to data governance in social housing?

  1. Bring governance into innovation conversations early – Don’t wait until after you’ve built something to check if it’s compliant.
  2. Shift ownership out of IT – Make data everyone’s responsibility, especially operational teams.
  3. Simplify the tools – Make dashboards and reports accessible to non-specialists.
  4. Encourage safe experimentation – Use sandboxes, pilots, and feedback loops to test new ideas.
  5. Celebrate failure – As Taylor put it, “Fail fast and celebrate that you failed – because it means you tried.”

Social Housing Data Management for the Future

Ultimately, balancing innovation and compliance isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about designing processes, culture and technology in a way that enables both. As Wickens reminded attendees, “People deliver change, not tools.” The right systems matter – but the right mindset is where it starts.

Want more insight?

Catch the full Moving from Data to Smarter Data panel discussion from Housing 2025 — now available on the Mobysoft YouTube channel.

Join Chair Engin Yilmaz (Mobysoft) and expert panelists Jason Wickens (Incito Solutions), Rebecca Taylor (Golding Homes), and Chris Fleck (Mobysoft) as they explore how social landlords can strike the right balance between data governance and innovation. Packed with real-world examples and practical takeaways, it’s a must-watch for anyone looking to unlock the power of housing data responsibly.

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