Homes 2012 - Conference Programme

Finance, public expectations, policy, and patterns of demand and competition are changing rapidly and radically within and outside of the housing sector. This session will help you to gain insights into these shifts and what they might mean in the medium-long term for the UK, housing, and your work in asset management.

Asset management is about strategic choices and balancing risk and in this new economic landscape using your assets innovatively has never been more important. But do you have to make a choice between putting profit or people first or can ethics in fact equal profits? In this session we hear first from a leading retail organisation that has tackled this issue, and then discuss what the housing sector needs to understand about maximising the asset in this new housing world.

With belated government recognition that social landlords should play a big role in the Green Deal, can you make it work for your business and take the lead in turning it into the success that is badly needed?

• How do you establish promotion-financing-procurement-installation partnerships that work?
• How do you combine Green Deal with other financing sources such as ECO?
• How do you crack the problem of Green Deal running alongside planned maintenance and other investment in your stock?
• Can social landlords run wider Green Deal programmes for whole neighbourhoods?
• How can social landlords help make it attractive to tenants and residents?
• Can the Green Deal be made more ambitious in delivering the improvements that achieve the biggest impact?
   

The quest for VFM continues, with tight finances and, for housing associations, the attentions of the regulator keeping it high on the list. Hear from HouseMark which has recently published a report on new approaches to VFM, and two of the leading housing organisations involved.

• How should we define VFM in 2012? Balancing value and cost
• Is a whole-organisation approach to VFM possible?
• What strategic choices can really improve value?
• What scale of results can be achieved?

The repairs and maintenance service is one of the most important services that landlords provide - it is generally the service that the greatest proportion of tenants access and research shows that overall satisfaction with landlords is heavily influenced by the quality of the repairs services. Changes across the housing sector, including localism, lighter touch regulation and increased financial pressures bring increased emphasis on our sector to define quality services for ourselves, come up with innovative and VFM approaches and ultimately to drive our own improvements in the services we offer to tenants. Based on some of the issues debated during the development of the CIH Repairs Charter, this session challenges delegates to think about their own repairs service - both in terms of what it currently delivers and how it will need to adapt and evolve in the future.

• How can you ensure your repairs service is fit for purpose now and in 10 years’ time?
• How do we define and demonstrate what a good service is?
• How do we succession plan so we still have the right people, expertise and technical and management skills in place in 5-10 years’  time?     
• How can we continually adapt and improve the services we provide to meet changing aspirations and expectations?
• How do we embed continuous improvement and avoid chasing the latest fad?
   

To reach government targets for cutting carbon by 2020 and 2050 we should be retrofitting one house to high standards every minute, from today. Can it be done?  In this session we’ll look at the targets, how to achieve them and the scale of the task. 

• Why the targets have been set and what they mean for you.
• Why the days of ‘pilot schemes’ are over and how sustainability needs to drive your whole asset management programme
• How do you prioritise? – worst first or low-hanging fruit?
• How do you put together a credible funding package?

The development of East Village has generated plenty of headlines and will be a very significant new community in London. Geoff Pearce of Triathlon will speak about the opportunities that the the Olympic housing legacy development will provide.

Effective and VFM procurement is essential to your organisation’s success, but are you confident you’re getting your buying right? In this session, we identify the factors key to success and common pitfalls to avoid. Some of the issues addressed include:
• Integrated procurement – working with the entire supply chain in harmony
• Legal challenges are rising in the sector: Understanding EU compliance
• Impact of the Public Local Services Values Act
• Are procurement clubs the answer?
• Is there enough sound asset management being used in the procurement process?
 

As we head towards year two of self financing, it's time to really engage with asset management strategy to get the best out of new-found financial freedoms. A practical look at the key issues a great strategy will grapple with:

• Understanding and maximising values
• Reconfiguring stock
• Investing in sustainability
• Redeveloping sheltered and extra-care schemes

The search for increased value for money and some new risk factors are making landlords take a good look at their arrangements for repairs delivery. The resulting decisions are throwing up some new options to the traditional 'make or buy' conundrum. The session will briefly discuss the benefits and risks of several contractual and delivery arrangements: DLO; Wholly owned subsidiary; Managing Agent; LLP/JV; Outsourced.   

It will explore the theme of how  to get the choices and services right for your organisation, including:

      •         Assessing and managing risk of different delivery models
      •         Getting value from  private sector involvement
      •         Legal and financial hurdles
      •         Securing added community value
      •         Involving tenants.


 

A controversial issue, the ethics and strategies around stock rationalisation have never been more debated. Rationalisation is not just about selling property to save money and consolidate, it’s about deciding where you’re going as an organisation. In this session we debate the broader implications for housing, and whether stock rationalisation can be used to both drive efficiencies, raise revenues and stimulate development - and to protect the vulnerable

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Constrained home ownership and social housing rationing are opening up opportunities in the private rented sector and intermediate market, and along with them attracting new investors into housing. At the same time reductions in public funding are driving a desire to find alternatives to grant finance for affordable housing, many of which mean treating existing assets differently. Do these business opportunities and funders require a different asset management approach?

With the entry of leading market rental organisations into the social housing sector, what can we learn from their approach to identifying new business opportunities and really driving the value of the asset?

We hear from organisations making a positive difference their communities and working cross-sector to improve delivery of education, skills training and health.

What have we learned in the last two days about how asset management and sustainability within housing could look like in five years' time? What will the key issues be driving these activities in 2017, what will change, what won't, and who will be making the decisions about strategy and spend?