Reduce missed appointment and ‘no access’ costs with tenant-led scheduling

Gas, fire, electrical, legionella, asbestos, lifts: managing the risks of ‘the big 6’ is a necessary part of providing safe homes for tenants, and there are plenty of software vendors out there building products to assist organisations with compliance auditing, mobile inspection tools and reporting. 

But none of that is any use if you can’t get access to a tenant’s property to carry out the required inspection.

One provider we spoke to recently told us that missed gas safety appointments alone cost them £750,000 a year. And the problem of no access is so bad that they’ve had to hire two full-time employees just to manage and rearrange inspections. 

Three-quarters of a million pounds is a lot of money to leave on the table for an organisation that’s constantly having its budget squeezed.

With increased responsibilities and costs on the horizon in response to the Safety and Quality Standard – the team and I are determined to find a solution that unlocks the hundreds of thousands of pounds being wasted on inefficient processes. 

The pitfalls of traditional appointment scheduling

For a long time, I’ve observed outdated and inconvenient ways of booking compliance inspections. 

Believe it or not, the primary way the team and I have seen councils try to book their appointments is by letter. A letter that includes a fixed appointment date and time and a telephone number they can call to arrange a meeting. 

This approach assumes that tenants are available during standard working hours and will receive, read, and act upon the letter.

But in reality, we know that people have other commitments such as work, childcare and other responsibilities that mean they can’t be at home all day, or make that call during open hours because of shift work. 

Then what?

This rigidity in the booking process is the primary reason why access rates are often so low. 

Our data shows that the average cost of a missed appointment is £112.52 – £150 if you’re based in London.

Based on our calculations, the cost of missed appointments for a social housing provider with 5000 stock outside London, totals £506,340.

Scale that up to a housing association with 20,000 stock, the price of this problem totals a whopping £2,025,360.

Here’s what this looks like for social housing providers of different sizes:

The need for a tenant-centred approach

The key to solving this issue lies in shifting to a tenant-centred approach. One that recognises and accommodates the diverse schedules of tenants and bins off relying solely on letters.

Rather than dictating appointment times that don’t work for tenants, landlords should provide tenants with the ability to choose a time and day that works best for them. 

Trials of similar approaches have proven successful in the NHS. Self-service appointment systems and appointment reminders have been found to reduce DNAs (Did Not Attend) to just 2%. 

We should be replicating this in social housing. 

Food and package delivery services are also using reminders and delivery rescheduling respectively to make sure customers are home at the point of delivery – which is great for their delivery rates – but also for customers who are more likely to be handed their goods personally.

If we can give tenants access to a scheduling system that reflects the availability of inspection teams, then access rates will increase. This not only respects the availability of tenants but also increases the likelihood of successful inspections, reducing the number of missed appointments and the associated costs.

In a world where convenience is increasingly expected, providing these options is not just a luxury; it is a necessity.

Introducing Inspection Scheduling 

Recognising the need for a more flexible, efficient system, the housing products team and I, have developed Inspection Scheduling, a tool that incorporates all of these suggestions to increase access rates. 

We’ve modelled data with current customers and other housing associations, which shows that Inspection Scheduling could cut 60% of compliance job admin costs.

We’ve built a cost savings calculator so that you can see your potential savings.

In the example we gave earlier, this tallies up to savings of £303,804 for a social housing provider with 5000 housing stock.

We also recognise the importance of compatibility and integrations to further automate the process.

Via our out-of-the-box integrations with common workforce schedulers, tenants can select their preferred appointment times through a user-friendly interface, receive reminders, and reschedule if necessary—all without needing to navigate cumbersome phone systems or wait for office hours.

This not only simplifies the process for tenants but also provides housing teams with a clear, organised view of upcoming inspections, allowing them to manage resources more effectively and reduce the number of missed appointments. All communication attempts are logged for audit purposes. 

View our Inspection Scheduling page for a full list of features.

A better experience for all

The benefits of this new approach are clear. 

For tenants, it means greater control over their schedules, reduced anxiety about missing important safety checks, and a more positive experience with their housing provider. 

For housing teams, it means fewer missed appointments, greater compliance coverage, and ultimately, safer homes for tenants.

As the social housing sector continues to evolve, we must embrace technology and innovation to improve the resident experience. Inspection Scheduling is a vital step in this direction, offering a solution that meets the needs of both tenants and housing providers. 

By making the booking process more convenient and accessible, we can ensure that safety inspections are completed on time, every time, providing peace of mind for all involved.

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