Croydon Council's Housing Directorate is enhancing resident services by improving the collection and utilisation of resident data, a move that is also crucial for demonstrating compliance with regulatory standards. The Housing Assurance Board received an update on this progress during a meeting on Monday, 13 July 2026.
The council is working to meet upcoming regulatory requirements, including anticipated inspections by the Regulator of Social Housing
in Q3 of the financial year 2026/2027. Furthermore, the Competence and Conduct Standard (CCS)
comes into force in October 2026, alongside the Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard
and other consumer standards. The Housing Directorate is actively using data to demonstrate compliance with Consumer Standards
and ensure adherence to these regulations.
Significant strides have been made in capturing resident contact details, with 79% of residents now having a mobile number recorded. This data is instrumental in prioritising fire risk assessments for vulnerable residents, identifying potential fraud, and improving the prioritisation of repairs. However, as of 16 June 2026, only 57.4% of the 12,888 first tenants have all core data fields completed. Core data points include date of birth, gender, disability, vulnerability/additional needs, communication needs (including translator requirements), ethnicity, mobile phone number, home phone number, and email address. For new tenants in the financial year 26/27, 100% of this core data has been collected.
A Data That Makes a Difference
campaign is being developed to underscore the importance of data collection and its application across the directorate. This initiative aims to cultivate a shared understanding of data accuracy and utilisation, ensuring that information gathered by one team is readily accessible and beneficial to others.
Improvements to the NEC system have streamlined staff access to resident information, including crucial details on disabilities, vulnerabilities, and communication needs. Pop-up alerts now highlight essential information when staff access resident profiles, enabling services to be tailored to individual circumstances. To enhance data completeness, mandatory fields and prefer not to say
options have been implemented.
Refresher training on data recording has been provided to staff, with elements now integrated into the NEC induction process. PowerBI reporting offers a clear overview of the data held, facilitating the prioritisation of residents by risk and the targeting of outreach efforts. For instance, the Tenancy Sustainment Team is focusing on residents with the least complete information records, while also identifying and contacting those who have not reported a repair in over three years.
Data is also being leveraged to tailor services for specific needs. Person-centred fire risk assessments are prioritised for vulnerable residents, and information on disabilities and communication requirements is shared with contractors to adapt their services accordingly. The Repairs Contact Centre has redesigned its processes to minimise repeat verification checks for vulnerable customers, resulting in faster resolution times and a more seamless experience.
Furthermore, the council is utilising data to understand and address economic and social challenges affecting residents. An Economic and Social Wellbeing Strategy is under development, informed by resident feedback and demographic data, to identify priorities and target resources effectively. This approach ensures that neighbourhood priorities and service planning are responsive to the wellbeing of the community.
Regarding data privacy and security, resident information is securely stored on the Housing Management System, NEC.
Croydon's processing of residents' personal data adheres to the UK data protection regime, comprising the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA2018), and recent amendments introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Appropriate security measures are mandatory to protect data.
However, specific details on the security of sensitive data like disabilities and communication needs beyond these general statements were not provided.
While progress has been made, the council acknowledges that data collection remains an ongoing focus. The aspiration is to reach the HQN-recommended target of collecting 100% of tenant data within the next three years. Continued efforts include targeted data collection events, expanding the use of resident information across all service areas, and undertaking periodic data quality audits.
For more details on the meeting, refer to the Agenda frontsheet and the Public reports pack.
