How Sureserve’s Healthy Homes Check is Transforming Safety

About

When PoplarHARCA and Sureserve set out to rethink compliance visits, the goal was simple: keep residents safer, healthier and happier, with a little disruption to their daily lives as possible. 

What emerged from that ambition was something far more powerful: a new model for joined up building safety, a model that is now influencing housing providers across the UK. Sureserve’s Healthy Homes Check blends essential compliance checks with new layers of safety and condition reporting, all in a single, highly efficient visit. The program rolled out across PoplarHARCA’s 10,000 London properties in 2025. 

It’s a partnership that has not only delivered measurable financial benefits but has also redefined how landlords can prepare for new legislation, respond to resident needs and prevent minor hazards before they escalate into more serious ones. 

The programme was compelling enough to earn a nomination at the National Housing Maintenance Forum (NHMF) Awards — recognising excellence in building and fire safety. 

A Smarter Model: One Visit, Seven Essential Safety Checks 

Traditionally, social housing providers have relied on multiple contractors to complete gas servicing, electrical checks, fire door inspections, damp and mould assessments and property condition reporting. This means multiple bookings, multiple access arrangements and multiple interruptions for residents. 

Sureserve asked a simple question: what if we could do it all at once? 

By integrating additional checks such as damp and mould, fire door safety, kitchen and bathroom condition assessments, ventilation appraisals and more directly into its custom engineer workflow and appointment technology, Sureserve created a one visit model that is: 

• More efficient for the client
• More proactive in anticipating repair needs
• More convenient for residents
• More cost effective than the traditional multi-contractor approach 

Every engineer visit now becomes an opportunity to capture rich, actionable data, without extending the appointment window or creating unnecessary admin for the client.  

Technology That Makes a Difference 

The innovation isn’t only in what the engineers check, but how they do it. 

Sureserve’s handheld technology prompts engineers through damp and mould scoring, fire door condition checks and kitchen/bathroom ratings, all supported by photographic evidence and consistent data standards. 

This ensures: 

• High quality, consistent reporting 
• Instant upload of inspection data
• Daily or weekly reporting feeds tailored to PoplarHARCA’s needs
• Easy identification of high risk properties for follow-up
• High first-time access rates thanks to effective resident messaging 

It’s a modern, scalable solution at a time when new regulations including require rapid inspection, response and documentation. 

Reducing Disruption, Increasing Trust 

For residents, the biggest win is simplicity. 

Instead of juggling three or four different contractor appointments, residents can now schedule one visit that covers everything. Resident groups have fed back that the streamlined approach has reduced stress, reduced the need to “wait in”, and helped them feel more confident that issues like damp, mould or fire door faults won’t go unnoticed. 

Trust improves when residents see clearly that landlords and contractors are taking a joined up approach to safety, not just ticking boxes. 

Measurable Impact for PoplarHARCA 

PoplarHARCA has been vocal about the advantages this new model brings. 

Where fire door compliance had once been a major operational challenge, the Healthy Homes Check now ensures every property receives at least one fire door inspection per year. Surveyor time has been freed up to focus on complex cases, and photographic evidence supports clear, transparent recordkeeping. 

Financially, the impact is significant. By replacing multiple contractor visits with a single multi-service appointment, PoplarHARCA now saves £145–£420 per property per year. Those savings can be reinvested directly into repairs, maintenance, and improvements. 

The added data, especially around kitchen and bathroom condition, has also enhanced long-term planning and budgeting for Decent Homes compliance and preventative maintenance. 

This isn’t just a new process; it’s a new foundation for asset management. 

A Model Being Adopted Across the UK 

What started as a local partnership is now shaping national best practice. 

After sharing the approach in an open-access webinar in April 2025, attended by 70 professionals live and watched by over 100 more afterward, Sureserve has been approached by numerous providers looking to replicate the model. 

Today, Sureserve offers up to seven safety and condition checks as part of its Healthy Homes Check. 

Interest has accelerated further following Sureserve’s record breaking webinar on preparing for Awaab’s Law, where housing providers sought practical ways to remain compliant while protecting residents. 

A Blueprint for the Future of Housing Safety 

The Healthy Homes Check demonstrates what’s possible when compliance, technology and resident experience are aligned. 

One visit. Multiple checks. Consistent data. Lower costs. Higher safety. Better planning. And happier residents. 

For PoplarHARCA and Sureserve, this is more than a highly commended initiative; it’s a blueprint for the future of safe, warm and healthy homes across the UK.  

Contact us now