2026 is shaping up to be a critical year in social housing, one where robust tech governance will not just be a matter of compliance but a decisive factor in organisational resilience and tenant trust.
Digital strategies were once largely focused on choosing the right housing management system. In the last two years, social housing technology has become significantly more complex.
Strengthened consumer regulation has intensified the requirement for high-quality, reliable data. GenAI presents major opportunities for efficiency and insight, but also introduces deeper and less familiar risks that require active governance. At the same time, competition for digital, data and technology (DDT) skills has tightened further, challenging providers’ ability to deliver at pace.
In this context, board members should be asking themselves the following questions:
1. How does data, digital and technology help us meet regulatory standards?
The new consumer standards place unprecedented weight on data quality, accessibility, and transparency. The regulator will triangulate Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) along with other data to assess compliance with the consumer standards, which are fully in force.
Part two of the answer lies with colleagues who need tools that help them serve tenants quickly and confidently. Tenants need consistent, trusted information and fair, transparent decisions. The acid test: does the tech make it easier for staff and tenants to do what matters?
2. What architecture do we need — and how does it all join up?
Most providers have accumulated technology, not designed it. A modern architecture is about systems, applications, data flows and integrations that are seamless, interoperable and future-proof. If the data isn’t flowing, neither are your services. If the architecture is a patchwork of silos, you cannot be “data driven”.
3. Do we have the right skills, capacity and capabilities?
The honest answer in most organisations is: partially. DDT requires new skills – data engineering, architecture, service design, cybersecurity, AI literacy and product ownership. Many teams are overstretched and underpowered. Outsourcing is an option, but only if you retain strategic control and avoid the trap where suppliers set your destiny.
4. What’s the business case? Costs, benefits and savings?
A DDT strategy must quantify not just system spend, but the value of better processes, reduced errors, lower risk, higher customer satisfaction, and improved productivity. Benefits need to be real, measured, and revisited regularly. Without tracking digital and data maturity, you cannot prove progress or assure the Board.
5. How can GenAI and emerging tech help us?
GenAI is not the answer to everything – but it is the accelerator for anything. It can enhance tenant interactions, automate low-value work, support early warnings, improve accessibility and help surface insights buried in unstructured data. But it requires governance, ethical frameworks and a clear use-case pipeline. Hype is not a strategy.
