How can digital resident communication solutions improve housing safety and comfort?
Housing associations occasionally face difficult situations where residents or outsiders fail to follow rules, guidelines, or basic etiquette – and sometimes even the law. Unfortunately, stairwells in apartment buildings are often used for smoking or loitering, and shared spaces are misused or deliberately vandalized.
One4all expert and former property manager Tomi Hanka recalls many unfortunate incidents during his property management career, where housing associations only realized potential risks and dangers in hindsight.
“Unfortunately, thefts are quite common – even laundry machines have been stolen from shared spaces in apartment buildings,” Tomi explains. “Incidents like theft often prompt housing associations to finally make decisions on long-overdue measures, such as changing locks or investing in digital access control,” he continues.
Sometimes, even with proactive measures, the situation can remain challenging. Tomi shares a case where storage units in an apartment building were repeatedly broken into, leading the housing association to install surveillance cameras. “The cameras were installed, but the entire system was stolen the day before it was activated,” he recounts.
Vandalism undermines housing comfort and safety
Insecurity, fear, and negative incidents significantly affect residents’ lives, as well as the financial stability, reputation, and property value of the housing association. Vandalism can incur substantial costs, undermining both housing comfort and safety – not only through the damage itself but also through the fear of further incidents.
Timely and transparent resident communication helps create visibility into what’s happening within the housing association. Openly sharing information with all residents – including potential troublemakers – can, in some cases, reduce disturbances.
When a housing community is safe and proactive against vandalism, the property’s value is preserved or even enhanced. These same factors also serve as selling points for the housing association.
Guidance over prohibition
“The best approach in these situations is always to provide guidance rather than impose prohibitions, and to foster a sense of community,” Tomi advises. Clear instructions on housing association rules, such as the location of designated smoking areas, help residents act appropriately.
In digital channels, housing association rules and guidelines are always accessible to residents, along with other important housing documents securely stored in one place.
Property managers sometimes face criticism, even when they are simply trying to communicate how things should function in the housing association. For example, addressing cultural differences through guidance can be misconstrued as negative when the information is associated with the individual property manager. Digital communication channels provide a more neutral platform for sharing guidelines and can include illustrative images. This approach reduces the emotional reactions directed at the messenger.
Digital solutions also add convenience to communication, enabling the scheduling of notices in advance. For instance, a pre-scheduled notice reminding residents of quiet hours can help maintain peace during the night.
Critical communication in exceptional situations
The strengths of digital communication include transparency, timeliness, and the ability to reach all residents and shareholders in any situation. Not all shareholders live in the housing association, but they must stay informed to participate in decision-making during general meetings.
Digital channels ensure that information is always accessible, enabling real-time updates and rapid dissemination of critical instructions.
During exceptional situations, such as emergencies, the same digital channels can be used to share the latest updates and instructions. These are immediately available to residents through digital notice boards and resident app, eliminating the need to wait for paper notices to be distributed. These channels are equally useful during renovations, making it easy to inform residents about water or electricity outages even on short notice.
Combatting vandalism with digital reservation systems
Booking calendars integrated with access control and payment services can reduce misuse and vandalism in shared spaces. For instance, during a resident’s reserved time, no one else can access the space, ensuring privacy in facilities like saunas and preventing misunderstandings over laundry room bookings. It also becomes easier to identify who was responsible for any vandalism during their reserved time.
In one housing association Tomi worked with, a series of laundry machine thefts was finally stopped by implementing a digital reservation system with access control. After the change, no more machines went missing.
An increasing number of customers using One4all’s housing service platform report that digital solutions have significantly reduced disturbances and improved overall calmness within their housing associations.
Digital resident communication is the future
Younger generations are often more engaged when messages are delivered via digital notice boards and resident app. Modern communication solutions have also sparked greater interest among younger residents in participating in board activities or tenant committees.
Digital channels make it easy to conduct resident surveys, improving understanding and streamlining data collection. Residents feel heard, fostering a sense of community. The resident app also enables two-way communication, allowing residents to contact the management directly and empowering specific resident groups to communicate with others.
By combining safety, convenience, and engagement, digital resident communication strengthens housing communities and enhances the overall living experience.
This article has been translated with the help of AI, original article is in Finnish.
