ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the door opening and physical security product company, has released its latest white paper on key management and control for void properties in the social housing sector, available for download.
According to the Department for Communities and Local Government, housing associations and local authorities own five million homes in the UK, with 610,000 of these homes empty at any one time between tenancies – approximately an eighth of the total stock.
The time spent by local government physically handing over keys between maintenance staff and contractors can cause workflow delays, increase the risk of keys being lost or stolen, and result in delays in re-letting properties, according to ASSA ABLOY.
All of these issues can potentially lead to large costs for councils and housing associations, the white paper points out. It addresses the impact that key management and control can have on improving operational efficiencies for void properties, as well as ensuring budgets are used more efficiently.
ASSA CLIQ Remote is described as an intelligent electro-mechanical locking system that allows only those with the necessary authority to access a building. It enables owners to have control over who can access a property, with members of staff allocated a single key, and entry permissions that can be altered remotely or set for only a set time. A user of CLIQ Remote is Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC). The product has helped the council save about 40 hours of time a week. The reduction in re-let times has allowed RMBC to deliver an extra £60,000 a year in rental income revenue.
The guide’s author, Simon Wilson, National Sales Manager for ASSA CLIQ Remote, said: “In the social housing sector, the pressure to re-let houses as quickly as possible and work to tight budgets should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, properties will inevitably stand empty between tenancies, while staff and contractors carry out the necessary repairs and maintenance. As a result, the need for an efficient and effective key management process is really important. Our latest guide discusses this in more detail, while demonstrating the benefits of adopting ASSA CLIQ Remote. It has proven to help save local authorities and housing associations considerable amounts of time and money.”
Visit www.assa.co.uk/cliqremote.
