Onward – Neighbourhood+

Onward is one of a range of case studies included in Making every contact count to demonstrate how social landlords are using routine and planned interactions with residents as opportunities to gather information about the condition of their homes and their needs. To mark a year since the report, we asked Onward how it has developed the 'making every contact count' approach.

Onward has continued to follow the principles of Making every contact count and recommendations from the Better Social Housing Review to shape how it uses data and insight to improve knowledge, tailor services and create better outcomes for customers.

Furthermore, the social landlord has embedded guidance from the Housing Ombudsman into its practices, taking key learnings from the Spotlight report on knowledge and information management.

Its use of predictive data is helping to inform decision-making, shape business planning and align processes. Onward says this way of working provides the organisation with a better understanding of vulnerabilities, enabling colleagues from every corner of the business to make every contact with customers count.

One example of this is in action is Onward’s Neighbourhood+ model.

Introducing Neighbourhood+

In Autumn 2025, Onward piloted its new Neighbourhood+ model. This approach was designed to uncover and address hidden issues in hard-to-reach communities, aligning with Making every contact count and recommendations from the Better Social Housing Review.

By using data and insight, Onward identified several communities where targeted intervention could make the biggest difference. Across several weeks of action, customer facing teams across the organisation were tasked with getting ‘behind the door’ of customers' homes. The aim was to come away with an in depth understanding of what Onward could do to better help customers and communities in these areas.

The pilot aimed to visit 418 customers across four priority neighbourhoods to identify and respond to:

• Damp, mould, and condensation issues.
• Tenancy concerns and vulnerabilities.
• Properties with no reported repairs in 12+ months.
• Households aged 75+ or with tenancies over 20 years.
• Properties lacking EPC ratings.

A multi-disciplinary team of 32 frontline colleagues conducted door-to-door visits over a three-week period, focused on specific indicators of property and customer wellbeing. The team collated their findings, logged all issues and held weekly debrief calls to allow for real-time feedback and resource management.

Following 315 home visits (75% successful access rate), colleagues from across the organisation are now working together to address any issues identified and provide additional support to customers where needed.

Onward received positive feedback from colleagues about the pilot, particularly around how it has strengthened collaboration and built trust with communities. Here’s what some of these colleagues had to say:

Onward’s Neighbourhood+ model demonstrates how targeted, data-informed action can drive meaningful change in communities with complex needs. It showcases the social landlord’s ability to mobilise cross-functional teams, engage vulnerable customers, and deliver measurable outcomes in a short timeframe.

What next

We ensured that all the data generated from our visits to customers’ homes were recorded on our system for the relevant workstream, such as repairs, or tenancy management concerns. Follow up visits and appointments were then arranged as needed.

We are keen to continue using our Neighbourhood+ approach as it is flexible and scalable. For any given project, we can increase or decrease the colleagues and resources required to tackle the concern at hand.

If you'd like to speak to Onward about this project, please contact Gavin Batchelor, Head of Neighbourhood Services.