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Case Study

Utilising connectivity in social housing to spot damp and mould risk earlier


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Onward Homes and Southway Housing tested environmental sensors and landlord dashboards to improve visibility of indoor conditions, identify damp and mould risk earlier and support better-informed repairs decisions.

Key facts 

Housing providers 

Onward Homes and Southway Housing 

Homes monitored 

30 homes: 20 Onward Homes properties and 10 Southway Housing properties 

Technology 

Environmental sensors, in-home gateways, cloud services, alerts and landlord dashboards 

Purpose 

Earlier risk identification, better-informed investigation and repairs triage 

Evidence status 

Positive proof of concept; the short deployment did not establish quantified operational or financial savings 

Results reflect proof-of-concept evidence. The project showed that connected monitoring could improve visibility of indoor conditions and support earlier investigation, but it did not establish longer-term savings or show that monitoring alone reduced repairs, costs or resident harm. 

The challenge

Housing providers can miss opportunities to address damp and mould before conditions worsen when they rely mainly on resident reports or visible signs. Onward Homes and Southway Housing wanted better property-level evidence to prioritise inspections and repairs, support residents and maintain a clear record of their response.

What was implemented

Onward Homes and Southway Housing installed environmental sensors in 30 selected homes: 20 Onward Homes properties and 10 Southway Housing properties. The sensors monitored temperature, humidity, mould risk and wider indoor conditions.

In-home gateways sent readings to cloud services and landlord dashboards, where configurable alerts supported property-level and portfolio-level review. The project included consent visits, resident demonstrations and handover materials, and also explored selected integration with smart-enabled heat pumps.

Results

Operational outcomes 

  • Live visibility of indoor conditions across 30 homes. 

  • A working early-warning approach to support investigation and repairs triage. 

  • Practical learning on dashboard ownership, alert thresholds and escalation routes. 

  • Reusable connected-home infrastructure with potential for other monitoring and heating uses. 

Resident outcomes 

  • Potential for earlier investigation before problems become more serious. 

  • Better evidence to inform conversations, advice and follow-up. 

  • Installation learning showing the value of plain-English explanations, trusted staff and language support. 

Key lessons for housing providers

  • Treat monitoring as a service change. Define who reviews data, what triggers action and how teams record follow-up before installing equipment. 

  • Start with a defined need and cohort. Focus on homes where complaints, repeat repairs, known risks or limited condition data create a clear operational problem. 

  • Use trusted staff to engage residents. Speak to the people who work with your residents the most to determine your engagement strategy. Plain English explanations, familiar channels for engagement and language support can improve consent, access and confidence. 

  • Test the technical and data approach early. Confirm sensor placement, connectivity, dashboard access, alert thresholds, data safeguards and supplier responsibilities before deployment. 

  • Measure benefits from the start. Record cases, repeat visits, repair costs, staff time, void impacts and resident feedback before installation. 

Before you start

 

Record current damp and mould cases, repeat visits, repair costs, call volumes, void impacts, stock condition and resident feedback. Agree the measures that will show whether monitoring is delivering value.

Identify who reviews the dashboard, how often they review it, what triggers intervention and how issues enter inspection and repairs workflows.

Use clear communications, trusted tenant-facing staff, demonstrations and language support where needed. Explain what the equipment does and does not monitor.

Agree consent wording, access controls, data retention and permitted uses before installation. Use monitoring to support—not replace—inspection, repair, resident communication and record keeping.

Plan user access, practical training, handover and post-installation support. Confirm licensing and platform costs beyond the initial support period before scaling.

 

Replication guide

  • Select a priority group of homes. Choose homes where connected monitoring addresses a clear damp and mould risk, repeat repairs or lack of condition data. 

  • Map the current service. Record how teams identify cases, investigate conditions, arrange work, communicate with residents and escalate concerns. 

  • Build a joint business case. Involve repairs, asset management, housing, resident engagement, IT, procurement, data protection and customer services. 

  • Confirm the technical and data model. Check sensor placement, gateways, connectivity, dashboard access, data ownership, retention, licensing and supplier support. 

  • Plan engagement and installation together. Coordinate consent, resident communications, access, installation, demonstrations and language or accessibility support. 

  • Set response procedures. Define dashboard review, alert thresholds, inspection and repairs escalation, resident updates and follow-up. 

  • Track costs and outcomes. Compare cases, visits, repair costs, staff time, void impacts, resident feedback and evidence quality with the baseline. 

  • Review before scaling. Confirm that the operating model, evidence and ongoing costs support wider rollout or use for other connected-home services. 

Further information

This case study draws on the Connected Homes deployment delivered through the Greater Manchester 5G Innovation Region programme, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s 5G Innovation Regions programme (5GIR). 

Partners included Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Onward Homes, Southway Housing, Sustainable Smart Technologies Ltd, Daikin and other organisations supporting delivery. 

For more information or to share a relevant case study, use the Connected Homes Innovation Hub contact page.