Every week I see another LinkedIn post, another sector briefing, another webinar invitation treating Awaab’s Law Phase 2 as though it’s arriving from nowhere in October 2026. A new problem. An unknown quantity. Something to brace for. I want to push back on that - respectfully but firmly.
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System is being revised. The current 29-hazard model is being restructured into 21 hazards — largely through amalgamating closely related categories into broader groupings. Government confirmed this direction in its 2023 HHSRS review outcomes. The revised system is not yet in force and no commencement
Mike Wilson & Chris McKellar · March 2026 If you’ve been on our mailing list for a while, you’ll know we’ve been quiet. Not disengaged, quiet. The kind of quiet that usually means something is being built properly. Today we’re telling you what that is. socialhousing.ai
They’re doing the basics, consistently. There’s a quiet misconception in the sector at the moment. When we see organisations performing well on compliance, passing inspections, staying ahead of issues like damp and mould, meeting their obligations under Awaab's Law and the Consumer Standards, the assumption is
Artificial Intelligence is now part of the conversation in social housing. It appears in supplier demonstrations. It features in board discussions. It is referenced in strategy papers. It is increasingly used in operational systems. Yet many people across the sector are still unclear about what it actually is. This series
I wanted to share a really valuable resource that Guy Marshall highlighted on LinkedIn earlier today — the MIT FutureTech AI Risk Repository. 👉 https://airisk.mit.edu/ This is one of the most comprehensive public collections of AI-related risks available, bringing together: * 1,600+ documented AI risks * Sourced from 65 different
New research and government announcements show that AI is moving rapidly from theory to practice in the UK’s social housing sector — but most organisations still aren’t ready.
AI is reshaping the way people apply for jobs. In 2025, evidence shows a sharp increase in candidates using AI tools to craft their CVs and applications. On paper, many look flawless. Yet recruiters across the social housing sector are telling us a different story. “We’re seeing candidates with
Technology moves fast, and one of the biggest leaps in recent months is Microsoft Copilot now including ChatGPT-5. This could be a game-changer for how people get work done. But here’s the catch: not every workplace allows employees to use it fully. Let’s break down what this means
Everything social housing maintenance teams need. In one place. Free.
Bringing systems, people, and process together for lasting change Awaab’s Law has made one thing brutally clear: doing the bare minimum is no longer enough. Tenants now have legal protection against being passed from pillar to post. If a damp or mould report is made, action must be taken,
📄 No Hype. Just Insight. At SocialHousing.ai, we promised to cut through the noise and bring you only what matters: reliable, practical insight into the real impact of AI. No clickbait, no inflated forecasts, just the facts. Microsoft’s Latest Research: What’s Really Happening? A new study from Microsoft,
What’s practical, what’s overhyped, and how to deploy tools that actually help By now, most landlords agree: you can’t meet the expectations of Awaab’s Law with reactive systems and fragmented data alone. But knowing that isn’t always the same as knowing what to do next,
AI tools like ChatGPT are unlocking new possibilities in social housing, from speeding up report writing to streamlining tenant communications and diagnostics. Providers are increasingly turning to these technologies to improve efficiency and support their teams. But with these benefits comes a risk that all organisations should understand: AI hallucinations.
Framing ROI, Cost Avoidance, and Regulatory Risk for Your Board When housing teams propose AI investment, board members often ask: * “Is this a necessity or a luxury?” * “How do we justify the spend?” * “Will it actually reduce complaints, risk, or cost?” With Awaab’s Law and evolving regulations, the answer
Part 2: The AI Tools Social Landlords Need Now (and How to Choose Them) Damp and mould complaints in social housing have surged to their highest levels in years, with 7% of social homes affected in 2023-24—a three-point jump since 20191. The tragic death of Awaab Ishak in 2020,
📌 Update [27 June 2025]: Timelines Clarified Following Government Guidance Since this blog was first published on 24 June to coincide with the start of #Housing25, the government has released formal regulations and clarified the legal response times under Awaab’s Law (on 25 June 2025). While the original blog content
Intro: The AI conversation is moving fast, but some shifts are too important to ignore. One of them is the rise of Agentic AI. If you're a housing professional working in operations, compliance, finance, or frontline services, understanding this development could soon be as essential as knowing your
AI-driven design is no longer a futuristic concept—it's actively reshaping how homes are conceived, planned, and delivered in the UK. For social housing development and regeneration teams, this technology promises faster delivery, cost savings, and more data-driven decisions, but also raises important questions about the future of
What Is Sentiment Analysis? Sentiment analysis — also known as opinion mining — is a process that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to determine the emotional tone behind a piece of text. It identifies whether a message is positive, negative, or neutral. It can be applied to emails,
AI has arrived—but in many corners of the social housing sector, the response is muted, cautious, or even quietly resistant. While technology providers showcase generative tools, predictive scheduling, and chatbot-driven self-service, many housing professionals are still asking, “What does AI actually mean for us?” The truth is, introducing AI
The social housing sector is entering a new era of regulation, with artificial intelligence (AI) set to play a pivotal role in how providers meet—and prove—compliance. As the regulatory landscape tightens, particularly with the introduction of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act and Awaab’s Law, housing professionals must
