The HIP: The Housing Industry Podcast
The housing crisis looms large. The UK’s crying out for housing stock, and new builds can play a huge role in the recovery. Diversity and inclusion is finally getting the attention it deserves at a strategic level. Although there’s plenty of work still to do. And environmental concerns are taking centre stage, with time running out to reach ambitious targets in net zero carbon emissions. Suffice to say, the UK housing sector is going through a period of great change right now. With everything developing at such a pace, it can be hard to keep your finger on the pulse. That’s why we’ve launched The Housing Industry Podcast. Featuring lively conversations with key leaders in the housing sector, The Housing Industry Podcast will provide real value to anyone working in the UK housing market who cares about making a difference.
The HIP: The Housing Industry Podcast
Is There a Better Way to Manage Repairs? With Paul Walker
Why are repair demands higher now than a decade ago? And how can we meet this rising demand, cut costs, and still maintain our quality of service?
In this episode, we speak with Paul Walker, Executive Director of Repair and
Maintenance at Home Group—one of the UK’s largest housing associations and
social enterprises.
Paul shares his extensive cross-sector experience and forward-thinking strategies for managing increasing repair needs, while balancing customer expectations and
improving service efficiency.
We dig into the real reason behind this surge in repairs, the changing expectations of customers and the potential for collaboration within the housing sector to reduce costs and boost service delivery.
Paul reveals his outside-the-box thinking and experience in developing partnerships and in-house models to improve efficiency. He highlights sector-wide challenges, like attracting skilled tradespeople and balancing urgent repairs with long-term asset management.
Covered in this episode:
● How COVID changed customer behaviour around repairs.
● 3 reasons the frequency of property repairs are going up.
● The untapped potential for collaboration in the sector.
● One reason organisations struggle to innovate.
● A better way to track and flag potential issues like damp and mould.
● Why data visibility is key to driving efficiency in repairs and maintenance.
● How Home Group is addressing skilled trade shortages.
● How to use data to predict and address customer failures before they
escalate.
● The importance of balancing planned work with reactive repairs to reduce
demand on services.
● How adopting a DLO maturity model can optimise resources and costs.
Packed with actionable strategies and real-world examples, this episode offers
inspiration for housing professionals looking to set the standard in repair and
maintenance.
LEARN MORE
Home Group - http://www.homegroup.org.uk
Andersen James - https://www.andersenjames.com
CONNECT
Paul Walker on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-walker-6843b11a/
James Leighton on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-leighton-65023b11/
LISTEN
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1JHMfNs33BK4UTOgaYt3cB
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/the-hip/id1576686644
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7vH1zt3GSm3_B_-OhDSlRg