Southwark Council will carry out its largest-ever housing survey – the biggest in the country - to check the condition of its council homes, estates and engineering assets.
The stock condition survey will begin in September and aims to visit all 37,000 council homes, as well as some leaseholder properties and all communal spaces.
It’s a key part of the council’s work to become a good landlord, which includes a £250m investment in council homes over three years.
The survey will provide the council with updated information on the age and condition of roofs, windows, kitchens and bathrooms, heating systems, passenger lifts and much more.
The information will help the council design a five-year asset management strategy together with residents so work can be prioritised where it is needed most.
Councillor Sarah King, Cabinet Member for Council Homes said: “This major new survey of council homes in Southwark – the biggest in the country - is a key part of our work to become a good landlord.
“We will use information from the survey to make sure that our investment in council homes is spent where it is needed most.
“Using data from the survey we will create a five-year management plan, with residents, to carefully prioritise work across our council homes and estates.”
The council has appointed built environment consultancy specialist Property Tectonics to carry out the survey.
The project will use Property Tectonics’ innovative Lifespan Housing software to ensure accurate, efficient data collection and analysis, enabling the council to make informed decisions about future investment and maintenance.
Esther Brady, CEO of Property Tectonics, said: “We’re committed to working closely with residents and Southwark Council to carry out surveys of council homes, communal areas and some leaseholder properties. This work will be supported by our market leading software and mobile data collection platform, Lifespan Housing.
Our longstanding partnerships with local authorities and housing organisations have helped drive meaningful improvements in social housing across the UK. We’re proud to support Southwark Council in delivering essential upgrades that will benefit the local community.”
In the coming weeks Property Tectonics will contact residents by letter as the survey work moves into their area. The team at Property Tectonics will help Southwark Council answer questions from residents about what will happen during a survey.
It is important that residents respond to the letters so that access to their home for a survey can be arranged and this important survey work can go ahead.
The letter will explain in detail what will happen during the survey and will contain important advice to ensure resident safety including how the Property Tectonics team operate and how their surveyors will identify themselves.
The first pilot survey will begin in Wyndham and Comber estates in Camberwell in July, with the main surveying work due to start from September.
Information from the survey will be used for planning right from the start, with the council’s five-year asset management strategy due to be agreed in 2026.