Driving Fortem's approach to adapting to social housing challenges: Q&A with Dan Churton

Dan, please can you tell us a little bit about your career before Fortem and how this has helped equip you for this new role?  

My career has taken me into a range of different sectors, but the common thread has been the ownership and operation of large asset portfolios. This has given me great insight into asset management best practice across lots of different sectors that I can bring this into the world of social housing.  

I’ve worked in both client and supply chain side roles, and I’ve seen how successful partnership working can be in delivering the best outcomes for both tenants and clients, and I want to help Fortem embody these ideals and become the chosen delivery partner for the Social Housing sector.  

My roles have been varied too, ranging from operations, commercial, and change and transformation, meaning I approach things from a very broad perspective. The roles I’ve enjoyed the most have been about driving performance and customer service improvements, and this is something I really want to help our clients with.  

How are you finding the journey from working with social housing to now working as a contractor for services to social housing landlords?  

To be honest, the transition hasn’t been quite as difficult as it could have been. I’ve been lucky to sit on both sides of the fence in other sectors in the past, meaning I arrived with an appreciation of how my perspective would likely need to change moving from client to supply chain.  

Fortem only serve the social housing sector, so it’s very useful to have spent three years on the client side, understanding the regulatory environment and how the performance of a Registered Provider is assessed by the regulator, leading to how Fortem can have maximum impact for clients.  

I believe in the impact of successful partnership working, and that view doesn’t change whether I’m working for either the client or in the supply chain. It’s key that both parties are working toward the same outcomes, and importantly both benefit if these outcomes are achieved.  

This is an extremely challenging time for social housing landlords, what do you think are their largest challenges?   

Where do I start! The sector faces an enormous number of challenges, from rebuilding reputations, changing regulations, and greater inclusion of the residents' voice, to delivering warmer, decent homes on decreasing budgets. Coupled with adjusting to a changing government, which will bring fresh challenges and expectations, it's a tough landscape.  

In the social housing sector, maintaining a delicate balance between regulatory compliance, value for money, and customer satisfaction is crucial. The introduction of new legislation, regulations, and compliance has resulted in the need for greater transparency and accountability, all contributing to a more regulated environment.  

Social housing landlords must engage with tenants to ensure their well-being and regulatory compliance. The customers’ voice is crucial in social housing as it leads to improved service quality, accountability, and transparency. Proactively addressing tenant concerns prevents issues from escalating, enhances the provider's reputation, and fosters a cooperative community. The customers’ voice remains a critical priority for our clients.  

Let’s not forget there are around 4 million social housing properties in the UK. While we know there are many frustrations in the sector, that is an awful lot of homes and residents that need to be managed and looked after. It’s a tough job.  

How will you bring your experience of social housing to Fortem?   

The vision for Fortem is to be the leading, most trusted property solutions partner for the sector, and to achieve that we really need to understand the perspective of our clients, the environment they must operate in, and what is important to them.  

My time in a Housing Association has given me a strong client perspective and a good understanding of the regulatory environment, and the major challenges currently facing the sector. Bringing that voice of the client into the Fortem boardroom means we can focus on building our services and ultimately our reputation on providing the right solutions to the challenges faced by the sector.  

However, the standards and regulations applied to the sector will always continue to evolve, so it is key for Fortem to adapt and remain relevant and trusted by the sector. A key part of my role is to do that environmental scanning and constantly translate that back into the business so Fortem can continually develop and enhance services to maximise our benefit to clients and their residents. This insight will enable us to deliver our promise that “Every Home Matters”.