Key takeaways from the Housing Community Summit 2025

The Housing Community Summit, organised by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in partnership with the National Housing Federation (NHF), returned to Liverpool this September after last year’s inaugural event. Across two packed days, it brought together housing practitioners, policymakers, residents, suppliers, and thought leaders to network and discuss the most pressing issues in social housing and to shape future actions.

Several members of our team, including Executive Director Steve Gaytor and Business Development and Marketing Director Claire Bailey-Jones, attended. Here they explain which of the main themes most resonated with us as a maintenance, refurbishment and fit out contractor.

Strategic policy and landscape

There was a strong focus on how political changes, funding pressures, and regulatory developments are converging to reshape requirements for social housing providers. Just days before the Housing Community Summit took place, there was political upheaval in the housing sector with Steve Reed appointed as the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. But despite this, there was still a sense of optimism that together we can affect real change across the sector.

The Decent Homes Standard, spending review, and frameworks for long-term stability emphasised that housing organisations must be proactive, not just reactive, and adapt their strategies accordingly. And with both the Future Homes Standard and Awaab’s Law coming into force imminently, this is likely to have further impact on strategy for social housing providers. As a contractor, it’s crucial we continue to work collaboratively with housing providers to understand the challenges they’re facing to retrofit properties efficiently and cost-effectively.

Sustainability and achieving Net Zero targets

This was a major thread throughout the whole event. Various discussions centred around retrofitting existing stock, ensuring sustainable procurement, and balancing carbon targets with financial realities. The emphasis wasn’t just on technological issues but also the operational challenges being faced by social housing providers who are increasingly having to do much more with much less budget.

The summit highlighted the need to adopt a big picture, long term view mentality rather than focusing on short term measures or quick wins. This means shifting asset management towards a lifecycle approach, prioritising long-term sustainability, and ensuring homes are future-proof both environmentally and in terms of quality.

With hundreds of thousands of new homes to be built over the next four years, many with renewable energy aspects, this puts more pressure on installers with these green skills for retrofit programmes. Our Head of Social Value Kevin Rhone presented a short session titled ‘Green skills for all: empowering communities for a sustainable future’ during the summit to address how to build resilient, climate-ready neighbourhoods. One of the ways we’re helping to address the green skills shortage as a contractor ourselves is to grow our own. We’re recruiting more apprentices then ever and taking on more electricians and plumbers with a view of upskilling them to deliver the most in demand skills and developing and upskilling our existing workforce to install energy efficient measures (EEM) effectively as part of our Sustain Service.

Data, technology and artificial intelligence

The summit’s AI and tech stand showcased how AI is increasingly being used as a tool to aid compliance, customer service, planning, and proactive operations across the housing sector. Ethical standards and governance in AI usage were strongly emphasised, with concerns about data bias, privacy, and avoiding unintended harm being raised. Discussions focused on how to transition from standard to smarter data to better allocate resources, predict maintenance issues, improve tenant satisfaction, and support more strategic board-level decision-making.

Creating an inclusive environment

We took the opportunity to host an informal drinks reception and a ‘lunch and learn’ session on the topic of male allyship in the workplace at The Daffodil on Canning Dock, in partnership with WISH and Women in Property during this year’s summit. Lee Hartley our Chief Executive Officer was on the panel, along with James Fleming, MD at The Power Within – a leadership training specialist, Andrew Buckels of Waterstons and Andrew Fairman from MSB Solicitors.

The panel of male professionals highlighted the role of male allies in housing and construction by exploring how men can actively support gender equity, challenge bias, and foster inclusive environments in what is a traditionally male-dominated sector. They each shared their own personal experiences and practical actions with the aim to inspire attendees to foster allyship in their own workplaces. The well-attended event sparked some interesting conversations and gave us all plenty of food for thought.

The Housing Community Summit is billed as the most collaborative event in housing and the panel discussions and speakers all reinforced the importance of collaboration. While challenges such as workforce shortages and rising costs persist, the sector is responding with innovation, adaptability, and a commitment to long-term sustainability and by collaborating the whole sector can benefit.