The UK’s retrofit challenge is significant, with millions of existing homes needing improvement to support the transition to net zero by 2050. This inevitably places a strong focus on delivery, efficiency and the number of homes that can be upgraded
Matt Hickman, refurbishment partnerships director at Lovell Renew, explores why the UK retrofit industry needs to look beyond project numbers and consider what successful refurbishment and retrofit means for the people directly affected by the work.
Behind every refurb project is a real home occupied by real people. While scale and pace matter, the biggest job isn’t always the right fit for every contractor, especially when residents’ circumstances or the work’s complexity require specialist experience. Contractors should consider where their skills and experience can deliver the greatest value, regardless of project size.
For those working in properties that provide supported accommodation or with residents who have additional needs, understanding individual circumstances and adapting delivery is as important as the capacity to deliver at scale.
Scaling UK retrofit with a people-focused approach
The construction and housing sectors understandably place significant emphasis on scale, delivery targets, energy efficiency and programme outputs. These measures matter, especially given the scale of the UK’s retrofit and refurbishment challenge.
However, a refurbishment programme ultimately takes place in someone’s home. For residents, the experience is far more personal than a programme figure or project milestone might suggest.
The quality of the finished work matters, but so does how it’s delivered. Communication and consideration, along with an understanding of individual circumstances, can significantly shape residents’ experience of refurbishment and whether the work achieves its intended outcome.
This is particularly important where residents have additional or complex needs. A property that appears straightforward during planning may require a very different approach once the circumstances of the person living there are understood.
Understanding why every resident, home and project matters
For residents, having work carried out in their home can be disruptive and, at times, stressful. They may feel that decisions are being made about their home without sufficient involvement or that their concerns are not being fully understood.
Two properties may appear identical on paper but have very different requirements because of the resident’s circumstances, household composition, how the property is used or previous adaptations and alterations. Those differences can be particularly significant when working in supported accommodation. Complex needs can include mobility or sensory impairments, learning disabilities, mental health issues or established care and support routines, all of which can influence how refurbishment work needs to be planned and delivered. It is important that each resident’s individual circumstances are understood and considered from start to finish and that the work is delivered with care.
Early and meaningful engagement is therefore essential. Residents should be given the opportunity to raise concerns and identify issues that may not be immediately apparent through a technical assessment alone. Their day-to-day experience can provide valuable insight into a property’s condition and functionality, build trust, and help inform how work should be planned.
Getting this right from the outset can also help avoid problems further down the line. Poor communication or a lack of understanding can lead to delays, additional costs, repeated work and unnecessary disruption. This is also important after the work is done, leaving residents feeling comfortable in their new home and confident with any technological advancements that have been made.
Ultimately, residents should not be viewed simply as recipients of refurbishment work, but as an important source of information in shaping its delivery.
Prioritising the smaller and complex jobs
Putting residents at the centre of refurbishment does not mean abandoning the efficiencies of delivering work at scale. Instead, it means creating enough flexibility within large programmes to respond to the circumstances of individual homes and households.
Clear and consistent communication throughout delivery is equally important. Residents should understand what work is being undertaken, when it will happen, how long it is expected to take, and who to contact if issues arise. This can help reduce disruption and prevent relatively minor concerns from becoming larger problems. Resident liaison officers, resident letters and open lines of communication mean that concerns can be addressed before they escalate.
It is also important to recognise that successful refurbishment cannot be measured solely through outputs alone. Resident satisfaction, quality, durability, and whether the intervention has genuinely addressed the identified needs should also be part of the solution.
The industry’s challenge is therefore not simply to deliver more, but to deliver the right work, in the right way, for the people living in those homes. For housing providers, this means looking beyond capacity and programme size when selecting delivery partners. Understanding a contractor’s experience working with residents, particularly those who may need additional support, can be as important as their ability to deliver a high volume of homes.
Putting residents at the heart of UK retrofit
Putting residents at the heart of refurbishment starts with understanding their individual circumstances before work begins. Engagement should be built into the delivery process from day one, with contractors and housing providers working together, in partnership to identify individual needs and consider where the approach may need to be adapted.
Often, it is the smaller considerations that can make the biggest difference – arranging visits around established routines, providing clear information ahead of work or making sure residents understand what to expect at each stage. This is particularly important for those with more complex needs, where early understanding can help reduce anxiety and disruption and build greater trust in the process.
Maintaining that communication throughout delivery is equally important. Regular touchpoints with resident liaison officers can help identify concerns early, while keeping communication channels open allows issues to be addressed quickly. This creates a more proactive approach, rather than waiting for problems to emerge.
It is also valuable to look beyond individual organisations for insight and challenge. Partnerships with organisations such as Tpas can bring an independent perspective, helping contractors and housing providers benchmark their approach, share best practice and identify where engagement can be strengthened.
Rethinking what successful retrofit looks like
The scale of the retrofit and refurbishment challenge means the industry must keep finding efficient ways to improve large numbers of homes. But scale should not come at the expense of individual needs. Site teams must be properly briefed and prepared before work begins, and everyone involved must work collaboratively towards the same outcome, with a collective responsibility to minimise disruption for residents while delivering work safely, efficiently, and to the highest possible standard.
Every property is someone’s home and possibly the safest and most important place to them, and every resident will experience refurbishment differently. The future of retrofit should not simply be about delivering the biggest programmes as quickly as possible. It should also match the right skills and experience to the right projects, recognising that some of the most valuable work may not always be the largest in scale.
Our approach has led us to consistently deliver great results and manage a huge pipeline of work across the central region, proof that efficiency, scale, and customer care can work together successfully.
