Engaging tenants, and keeping them engaged, is the single biggest barrier to retrofitting social housing. Neb Augustinov, Retrofit Lead at Ridge, shares what he’s learned about increasing take-up on some of our recent projects

Social housing retrofits are free for residents, and benefit them by lowering their bills. So why is take-up so low? It’s typical for contractors to ask housing clients for two or three times the number of addresses in order to meet project targets.  

Tenant engagement is undoubtedly the biggest stumbling block that we encounter. It’s tenants who have the final say on whether their home gets upgraded, and they can drop out at any time during a process that can last several years.  

Right now, I think there’s a lot we could do better to engage them, and keep them engaged. Many of our clients still rely on outdated communication methods like letters and calling cards, using blanket approaches that don’t take into account the demographics or needs of tenants. They may be contacted by an overwhelming number of different partners, too few of them listening to tenants’ own knowledge of how their home is performing. Is it any wonder that they opt out, or don’t stay the course?  

We’ve been thinking about this a lot on recent projects, and trying new approaches to increase take-up. Here’s what we’ve learned so far:   

 

Treat each property as a separate project

On our project in Colchester, we had quick-fire discussions about each property in our regular progress meetings – so everyone knew the name of the resident, what their needs were, and what we could and couldn’t do. It didn’t take long – we were typically working on 20-25 properties at a time – but that in-depth knowledge proved really valuable for keeping things on track.  

 

Leave no stone unturned on access

Some organisations have a policy of calling three times before they mark a property as “no access”. As project targets increase, we can’t afford to give up so easily and we need to meet people where they are. We’ve started adding QR codes to letters, which take tenants to an online information portal where they can tell us about their needs and preferences. We’ve used text messages to invite them to book surveys, and tagged along on gas safety checks that are already scheduled.  

 

Tailor engagement strategies to communities

We’re looking at developing engagement strategies that take into account the range of ages and nationalities among the residents, and any disabilities or vulnerabilities that they may have. A retrofit project in Cornwall will face completely different challenges to one in Bradford, for example, so we need to align our approaches to the needs and attitudes of the residents. Some tenants won’t open letters, others have difficulty using online methods. We may need to translate communications into certain languages, or make sure we call outside of working hours. All of these factors affect take-up rates, so we can’t afford to ignore them. 

 

Make it personal

We hold a lot of community events, so residents can put faces to the organisations that are getting in touch with them. We appoint a dedicated retrofit advisor for resident liaison, so they can answer any questions straight away without having to go away and find out the answers. And we provide references for successful projects in the local area that tenants can go to see for themselves. Word spreads within communities, so if you can engage a couple of people on a street or estate, others are more likely to come on board.  

 

Track engagement across the project team

We’ve developed a bespoke project management tool for large-scale retrofit projects, which the whole project team can use to see real-time information about each property, with a log of every contact attempt. We can also build on an online portal for tenants to see when their surveys are booked in, what efficiency measures are being installed and how they will impact their bills, and details of who they can contact for more information. Even if it’s just basic stuff, it can reassure them so they remain engaged throughout the works.  

 

Counter Net Zero negativity in the media

Negative coverage of Net Zero and energy efficiency is one of the main barriers to tenant engagement, and it’s something we have to overcome. Our social value team have developed a Carbon Literacy Project-accredited programme called “Ridge Green Futures”, which is delivered by our experts to ensure the benefits of the Net Zero transition are shared widely. We talk to communities about the green jobs of the future, for example, and explain terms like sustainability, carbon and retrofitting. It’s about helping them to understand the wider picture and why these projects are taking place. 

As we embark on Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, tenant engagement will be even more important than ever – these will be the largest retrofit projects undertaken to date. But whether we’re retrofitting 100, 1000 or 5000 properties, we need to remember that each one is someone’s home – it’s about 5000 families, not just numbers on a list. 

 

Neb Augustinov is Retrofit Lead at Ridge. He will be speaking about tenant engagement and Net Zero at Housing Brighton 2025 at 2.25pm on 7 May in the Sustainability in Housing theatre in the main exhibition hall.  

Lauren Bailey, Head of Social Value at Ridge, will be taking part in a panel discussion on Procurement – transparency and social value at 2.25pm on 7 May in the Kensington Suite.  

Find out more: https://www.cih.org/events/housing-brighton-2025/programme/