Housing Association 2030: How will you stay on top of the coming information tsunami?
The housing cooperative sector faces an enormous challenge. Building, improving sustainability, responding to new housing needs, and, at the same time, keeping increasingly empowered tenants well-informed: it’s all happening at once. While much attention is focused on bricks and mortar and technology, perhaps the greatest challenge of all is unfolding in the background: keeping control of information.
The Housing Market
For many people in the Netherlands, it is difficult to find a place to live. As a result, pressure on housing authorities is increasing. Tens of thousands of new homes must be built each year. The national government estimates that 900,000 new homes will be needed by 2030. Furthermore, due to increasingly strict laws and regulations, the current housing stock must be made more sustainable. The needs of different generations are also changing: new types of housing for older adults are emerging, and for first-time homebuyers, small, independent apartments or studios must become available that are, above all, affordable. But there is another challenge that may be underestimated:
With information
Behind all these physical plans lies a challenge that is at least as great: the enormous increase in information. Because every change also means communication. More channels, more target groups, more coordination. Moreover, tenants are becoming increasingly assertive and expect greater clarity, speed, and personalized service in their interactions with the housing association. If you don’t respond to this intelligently today, one thing is certain: the organization will come under even greater pressure.
How do you do that?
That is the question that needs to be answered. Housing agencies can prevent errors caused by human actions by further automating and digitizing their processes. So far, nothing new. Consider, for example:
- Automated communication flows by target audience.
- Self-service portals that are truly up-to-date.
- Dashboards with real-time tenant insights.
- A single, central source of truth for tenant data and documents
- Controlled access and roles for employees, ensuring that information is always shared securely and accurately
Game-changer?
What is new in many cases, however, is the use of AI. A recent article in CorporatieGids* clearly explains how housing cooperatives are increasingly using AI. Examples include predictive maintenance, smart buildings with voice-activated elevators, and virtual AI assistants that answer common questions from tenants.
The most important prerequisite for traction
Effective communication depends, and will continue to depend, on the quality of the data. AI predictions are only as good as the data they’re based on, as is the personalized information found on a self-service portal, in a letter, or in an email. However, the risks of incomplete data should not be underestimated: there is also a downside to using AI. Marco van Drogenbroek, Business Consultant for Housing Associations, has this to say about it:
“AI solutions that rely on incomplete or inaccurate tenant data pose a greater risk than human error. A person might make a single mistake in a single file. But AI can provide the wrong answer to thousands of people at once, day and night, and on a large scale. That is precisely why the data must be accurate.”
Our conclusion
The increasing workload can certainly be alleviated with the help of AI. However, it’s more important than ever to ensure that data is stored centrally and securely. After all, a false signal or an unreliable connection can cause damage faster than you’d like in an AI-automated environment. So, what you don’t get right today could become a problem tomorrow that spreads like wildfire.
To get a handle on information
With smart structures, user-friendly (AI) tools, input and output management, and an approach that works for both your staff and your tenants. *Source used: CorporatieGids
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