Locarla | The UK's Social Housing Data Platform

Social Housing RMI Business Intelligence & other stuff

And so it came to pass, another month of 2025 came and went, and whilst others lament, we rejoice because we work in the housing sector where every day is like a holiday. Not a very good one mind, more of a short break in Rhyl, with the in‐laws, but still…. I think it was Nietzsche who said,

“Ducks say quack and fish go blub, and the seal goes ow ow ow.
But there’s one sound that no one knows…
What does the fox say?
Ring‐ding‐ding‐ding‐dingeringeding!”

Wise words indeed and something, in these trying times we can all relate to, and gain some solace from.

I came across this in the week, best to view on a PC. Nira is a platform for rendering 3D models in real time. Zoom in and click around, and below, the building. Click a point outside to view the unrendered version. Very cool.

What’s been happening in our world since we last had our little get together? On a personal note, her indoors got a bear hug at the fireworks, had a suspected fractured rib, went to hospital, caught a super bug, came home, fainted, her heart stopped for 20 seconds, and now she needs a pacemaker ‐ what an attention seeker! On the plus side she loves hospital food as it reminds her of her Mums cooking.

Aside from that, we have continued to build our RAG application which is starting to show real results ‐ more about that below. The TSM results came out ‐ yes the same ones we showed you in July but let’s not dwell on that ‐ so Roshani and Nidhi have built new graphs, charts and tables to show off the bits you might find interesting. Awaabs law came into effect which has all the landlords having kittens ‐ I don’t know how connected you are to their world, but they do understand that the contractors are the frontline staff and have access where they don’t. You would be doing them a favour by collecting accurate data, taking good photos of your work and maybe, if you’re in the mood, start asking the tenant for your own feedback via QR code or postage paid postcards.

Not one to blow my own bassoon but I also had my highest viewed/impressions (currently 9148!) post on LinkedIn. Probably a bit highbrow for you lot as I was enquiring as to when the fella had time to drop the kids off at the pool, as it were. Enjoy

So, without further ado,
may I introduce to you,
the act you’ve known for all these years … it’s the Locarla Monthly Briefing!

‘Blue links‘ for all and ‘green links‘ are behind login so dependent on your licence.

Welcome, welcome, one and all.

Personally, I think AI is a fad, remember the C5?

Quick RAG explainer …

ChatGPT is trained on general web text but imagine if we could train it on your data. All your reports, emails, technical documents, contract data, repair jobs, financials and so on. We call this a RAG/LLM. A big brain organising and retrieving your data out the back, and a ‘voice’ up front, so you can ask questions and get the answers in natural language.

This is what we have been building for Locarla, and our property/EPC data will be the first data set we make available to users on the Decarb & Retrofit licence. We are already using it in a test environment, as you can see from the image, so we’re not far off a release date.

Next, we’ll be adding our full Housing dataset to the RAG, and then the big one everyone’s waiting for: Contract data. This is where things get really interesting. Instead of paying consultants for guesswork on market share and pipeline analysis, you’ll be able to get accurate insights directly from us, simply by asking ….

“My company is XYZ Contractors, what share of the market do we hold, who are our competitors, and which contracts are up for renewal over the next 2 years that we should be targeting?”

Because we already know what work each contractor is delivering, who their clients are, and when those contracts expire, the system can highlight opportunities that match your profile, across every social landlord in the country.

Glossary:

–	LLM – Large Language Model (ChatGPT, Gemini): Swallowed the web and learnt how to speak and sound intelligent. Aims to please so if it doesn’t know the answer it will spout nonsense, or ‘hallucinate’.
–	Tokens – Think of tokens like puzzle pieces, each piece is a small part of a sentence. The AI fits them together to understand what you’re saying and build its reply. When we build software using LLM’s we have to pay per token.
–	Semantic meaning – ‘a large cat’ eats too much and sleeps on your sofa all day, ‘a big cat’ will eat you. Don’t get the two mixed up. This is one of the hardest challenges when building a RAG – understanding what you really mean when you ask a question, and what information we need to return to answer it properly.
–	RAG – Retrieval-Augmented Generation – even the name sounds complicated, and it is. Uses LLM tech to speak to you in natural language but is trained on your data. If it doesn’t know the answer, it will fess up and tell you.

A plain LLM is like sending a very experienced repairs supervisor to a site without access to the job history or property records, they’ll make educated guesses but sometimes get the details wrong.

A RAG‐powered LLM, on the other hand, is that same supervisor with a tablet showing every past repair, survey photo, and component spec for that exact home, they can diagnose accurately because they’re looking at the real data, not relying on memory.

It’s all News to me!

AI generated content

Settle Group and Paradigm Housing Group have merged to form SettleParadigm, the largest housing group in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire, owning nearly 27,000 homes. Source: Paradigm Housing Group

West Northamptonshire Council has approved a phased plan to bring management of its housing stock back in-house by 2027, strengthening local housing services currently managed by Northamptonshire Partnership Homes (NPH). Source: West Northamptonshire Council. Pinnacle Group has partnered with Zen Housing to expand its FPRP portfolio. Source: Pinnacle Group. Crisis will become a landlord for the first time, citing the UK’s “catastrophic” housing situation. Source: The Guardian

The RHS downgraded Phoenix Community Housing to G3 for governance failures and GreenSquareAccord to G2 (C2/V2) for weak oversight. Barnet London Borough, Sutton London Borough, and North East Derbyshire District Council received C1 ratings, while Hounslow London Borough was rated C2. Clarion Housing Group (C2/G1/V1) and Honeycomb Group (C2/G1/V2) were assessed, with Lincolnshire Housing Partnership, Advance Housing & Support, Teign Housing, and Two Rivers Housing retaining their grades. Source: GOV.UK. The Housing Ombudsman introduced a revised Special Investigation Process, with Tier 1 probes covering A2Dominion, Amplius, Hexagon Housing, Redbridge London Borough, Wandsworth London Borough, Norwich City Council, and Soho Housing. Source: Housing Ombudsman Service

Birmingham City Council has launched a £2.5bn regeneration in Ladywood to deliver up to 12,000 new homes. Source: Birmingham City Council. Legal & General will invest £2bn by 2030 to boost regional growth. Source: Legal & General Group. Platform Housing Group raised £250m through a record sustainability bond. Source: Platform Housing Group. Lloyds Bank provided VIVID with a £50m green retrofit loan. Source: Lloyds Banking Group

Lambeth Council is seeking a new contractor for a £15.7m retrofit project after Cenergist’s collapse. Source: Construction News. Homes England has launched procurement for a major housing scheme in Newcastle. Source: The Construction Index

Building control giant Assent has ceased trading, shaking the industry. Source: Construction Enquirer. Aluminium cladding supplier EuroWindows has collapsed amid BSR delays, leaving staff redundant. Source: Construction Enquirer. Vidi Construction owed nearly £6m to subcontractors and suppliers before entering administration in September. Source: Construction Enquirer. Despite a slight fall in August, construction still accounts for one in six UK company insolvencies, with 23,141 cases in the past year. Source: Construction News

Between July and September 2025, 390,000 domestic EPCs were lodged, a 2% drop from last year. Source: GOV.UK. The SHDF has installed 96,500 measures across 47,300 homes by August 2025. Source: GOV.UK. The GBIS has delivered 102,200 measures in 78,600 households. Source: GOV.UK. The Energy Company Obligation has provided 4.3m measures to 2.6m households. Source: GOV.UK. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme supports low-carbon heating, with 90,000 installations expected by 2025. Source: GOV.UK. Construction emissions have risen nearly one-third since 1990, according to new ONS data. Source: BCIS. Damp is 12 times more likely in poorly ventilated homes, affecting 1.3m households in England. Source: Housing Digital. Fire risks from solar panels have surged 60% in two years, with incidents occurring nearly every other day. Source: The Construction Index

New emergency measures aim to tackle London’s housebuilding crisis and unlock thousands of new homes. Source: GOV.UK. Of 511 high-rise buildings with unsafe ACM cladding, 97% have begun or completed remediation. Source: GOV.UK. Three-quarters of construction workers fear climate change impacts on site safety. Source: FMJ. Housing project starts fell 7%, contract awards 47%, and planning approvals 39% year-on-year. Source: Construction News. The CPA Autumn Forecasts 2025 downgraded growth expectations after a weak summer. Source: The Construction Index. Construction profit warnings hit a post‐pandemic high with nine issued in Q3, says EY-Parthenon. Source: The Construction Index

Awaab’s Law is now in force, requiring social landlords to fix emergency hazards such as damp and mould within 24 hours to protect tenants’ health. Source: GOV.UK. Over 15m people-more than one in four‐live in homes that could harm their health due to damp, mould, or cold. Source: Health Equals. Mayors outside London will gain more control over the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme. Source: GOV.UK

AI generated content

ESG, EPC, TSM & XYZ

Download the full report.

Show me the money!

A PDF guide to contract management on Locarla.

AI generated content

Procurement activity across the UK social housing sector continues to intensify, with major framework launches, retrofit programmes, and material supply contracts driving investment in safety, sustainability, and modernisation.

Leading the wave, Crown Commercial Service has announced a Facilities Management and Security Services framework worth around £120bn over three years, uniting previous FM and security agreements into a single structure open to all public sector bodies.

Continuing the trend, LHC Procurement Group has released Public Buildings Construction and Infrastructure frameworks across England (£750m), Scotland (£1bn), and Wales (£100m) over four years. The agreements cover new builds, refurbishments, infrastructure works, and FM services for civic and educational properties. Alongside, LHC is progressing three Fire Doors (Including Communal Doors, Entrance Doors, and Associated Products) frameworks for England (£70m), Scotland (£100m), and Wales (£25m), supporting compliant fire safety installations, renewals, and maintenance for domestic and mixed‐use buildings.

Expanding regional delivery, Regenda Group in partnership with Rise Construction Framework Ltd is establishing a £428m Construction Works and Services Framework over four years. The 12‐lot structure supports housing providers, local authorities, and NHS bodies with flexible procurement for general construction, refurbishment, and civil engineering works.

Reinforcing the focus on safety, Efficiency East Midlands (EEM) is advancing two major fire and compliance frameworks ‐ a £310m PIN ‐ Passive Fire Protection Services Framework agreement and a £125m PIN ‐ Fire & Intruder Alarms and Fire Protection Equipment Framework, each lasting four years. Together they offer open-protocol, accredited systems that ensure compliance with the latest fire safety regulations across social housing and public buildings. EEM is also launching a Lifts and Mobility Lift Solutions Framework valued at £83m over four years, covering installation, refurbishment, and servicing to enhance accessibility and energy efficiency.

Broadening local capacity, BD Group is setting up an open PIN ‐ Reactive Maintenance Framework and Associated Services for Barking and Dagenham London Borough worth £208m over seven years. The structure includes thirteen lots covering UPVC repairs, voids, disrepairs, damp and mould management, M&E, asbestos, compliance, and other building‐related services.

Similarly, Kensington and Chelsea London Borough is consulting on a borough‐wide PIN ‐ Responsive Repairs, Voids, and Adaptations contract valued at £136m, delivering 35,000 annual repairs while shaping future service models.

Further west, Pembrokeshire County Council plans a Minor Works Framework Agreement for Building Maintenance worth £110m over three years for housing and corporate properties, spanning responsive, planned, and specialist trades.

GreenSquareAccord is also seeking suppliers for a £76m PIN ‐ Materials Supply framework over five years, integrating managed stores, van stock management, and sustainability-focused supply chain solutions.

Supporting older residents, Housing 21 has issued a Kitchen and Shower Room Installations framework valued at £72m over 55 months, covering 45 regions to modernise its Retirement Living and Extra Care schemes.

Wandle Housing Association Ltd. is introducing an open Supply Chain Partners (Trades) Framework of £48m, with one‐year renewable terms for responsive repairs, major works, and damp and mould remediation in line with Awaab’s Law.

Driving decarbonisation, VIVID is launching its Retrofit Works 2025–2030 framework worth £43m over five years, targeting EPC C upgrades for 3,500 homes through a fabric‐first approach under its Net Zero Investment Plan.

Supporting its in‐house delivery, Jigsaw Homes Group Ltd. has announced a Material Supply Contract 2025 of £35m over two years, operating via a hub‐and‐spoke model with managed van stock and digital ordering systems.

Preparing for future investment, Cobalt Housing Limited has begun market engagement for a £33m PIN ‐ Planned Maintenance 2026 programme across external and internal works.

Meanwhile, LiveWest Homes Ltd is running a £33m Windows and Doors Framework covering UPVC and composite installations across the South West, complemented by an Advantage South West procurement route.

Finally, Leicester City Council is tendering a Kitchen & Bathroom Refurbishment & Associated Works Planned & Reactive contract worth £25m over two years, to be delivered alongside its in‐house teams to upgrade council housing stock.

AI generated content

The Other League Tables

Along with our main monthly league tables, ❲see below❳, we also produce tables based on the following trades: Retrofit, Asbestos Survey, Fire Risk Assessment, Water/Legionella & Stock Condition Survey. ❲Premium Clients, click here for the PDF❳

Top of the league in each table are ….

Retrofit:

Wates Group

Asbestos Survey:

Tersus Consultancy

Fire Risk Assessment:

IFI Group

Stock Condition Surveys:

Property Tectonics

Water / Legionella:

Sureserve Compliance Water

October League Tables

Built Environment Contracts

The trades we cover; Responsive Repair, Planned Works (Kitchen/Bathrooms & Doors/Windows), Gas Servicing/Central Heating, Voids, Fire Safety & Roofing.