How will AI shape the social housing sector in 2025 and beyond?

Ahead of the pack

The UK housing sector has long been at the forefront of using emerging technologies to speed up workflows, leading to more efficient services for tenants.

A recent example comes from the OneAdvanced Housing Trends Report, which shows the social housing sector outpacing most UK industries in the exclusive use of cloud-based applications: 47% reported using the cloud as a stand-alone technology, a figure second only to business technology (50%), and well ahead of education and government (37% and 33% respectively).

The same report suggests a healthy appetite for artificial intelligence – 16% said they are exploring the potential for AI use across a range of functions, 9% said that AI is fully incorporated into business processes following comprehensive planning, and just 5% said they were not using or planning to use AI as part of future strategy.

Staying customer focused

The reasons for this high level of AI interest are mainly tenant-focused – legislation has demanded a faster and more transparent response to tenant complaints, and AI is the perfect tool to facilitate communication out of hours. AI chatbots are now commonplace across the sector.

AI can further improve tenant satisfaction measures through intelligent scheduling and resourcing tools which speed up first time fix rates, reduce voids, and keep tenants accurately informed on visits and planned maintenance and repairs: with accurate appointment times, tenants can plan their days effectively.

There are also important implications for tenant health and safety – a primary concern as we remember the tragedies of Grenfell and toddler Awaab Ishak. By deploying AI-driven sensors, housing managers can detect the early signs of damp and mould, allowing for timely intervention. In a similar manner, smart sensors can measure temperature and humidity levels, proving real-time data to inform maintenance needs and the efficacy of repairs.

Efficiency gains

Back-office processes can be greatly sped up using the latest AI-powered applications. The allocation of properties is one such example, with AI able to accurately allocate houses based on pre-set criteria. This serves to increase the fairness and transparency of property allocation while significantly reducing manual administration.

AI tools can also streamline the way social housing providers manage overdue payments. AI-driven analytics can identify patterns in payment behaviours, predicting which tenants might struggle with rent before arrears accumulate. Chatbots can then issue tailored reminders and suggest payment plans.

Cost cutting and ESG

Retrofit is a growing area in housing, and housing providers can harness the power of AI to map out retrofit projects based on housing stock, tenant needs, and available funding. In this way, resources can be allocated efficiently, and work stays cost-effective.

AI tools can also play a key role in energy reduction through embedded sensors. These IoT sensors can analyse energy consumption patterns, giving tenants a clear view on their energy usage and helping them reduce monthly bills – an important application given the 6 million-plus UK residents currently living in fuel poverty (National Energy Action, January 2025).

The value of private large language models

With the majority of UK workers routinely using popular Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Chat GPT to perform routine tasks, it is important to remember that this ‘unauthorised’ use of AI has the potential for data leakages – a serious consideration when dealing with sensitive public data.

However, private LLMs that offer UK data sovereignty – such as OneAdvanced AI – are designed to keep your data 100% secure, and have a myriad of use cases in the social housing sector. These use cases include:

• Staff & tenant experiences – ‘How to’ guides can be created automatically, providing staff and tenants with rapid responses to a variety of enquiries.
• Predictive maintenance – The LLM can analyse historical repair data to anticipate maintenance needs, preventing costly breakdowns and minimising disruption for tenants.
• Application processing – Automating application reviews speeds up tenant onboarding, ensuring maximum efficiency. Natural Language Processing (NLP) can handle document verification, reducing administrative burden.
• Fraud detection & risk assessment – The LLM can detect anomalies in applications, payment behaviour, and occupancy patterns, helping prevent fraud and misuse.
• Meeting notes & compliancy – Board meeting minutes can be summarised instantly, while audit recommendations can be produced automatically, ensuring regulatory compliance without manual administration.
• Historical data comparison: Vast data sets can be analysed to compare year-on-year data, providing valuable information on waiting lists, first-time fix rates, spend, supplier performance, tenant satisfaction, and more.

An investment for the future

In all areas of work, AI is becoming a necessity rather than a ‘nice to have’. For the housing sector, the use cases are many and varied, with diverse applications for tenant health, safety, and wellbeing.

Beyond a focus on the tenant, AI-driven tools can speed up administrative processes, save money for the organisation (while helping save the planet through energy reduction) and analyse customer data, leading to strategic, data-led decision making.

For social housing providers, private Large Language Models will soon become a key part of their digital infrastructure, transforming workflows and processes while driving down cost and delivering a well-rounded tenant experience that is proactive rather than reactive.

---

Discover the power of OneAdvanced AI – a 100% secure, private LLM with UK data sovereignty.