Navigating 2025: Emerging Trends and Opportunities for Service Providers

Ahead of the NHMF Maintenance Conference, Chair of the NHMF Service Provider Forum, Melissa Woodall explores what the year has in store for service providers.

newtrendsspf20252

With the social housing sector on the brink of major changes, including the introduction of new Procurement Act, constant technological innovations and working towards Net Zero targets, navigating the latest trends and regulatory guidance can be a minefield.

Part of our remit at the Service Provider Forum is to help our members understand the impact of these trends so they can stay ahead of the curve and continue to deliver quality products and services that meet the high standards expected by social housing providers.

Here are some of the key trends we’ll be focusing on over the coming months:

#1 The Procurement Act

With the new Procurement Act placing more emphasis on social value initiatives, including local community projects and long-term environmental benefits, the pressure will be on service providers to deliver impactful solutions that meet stringent requirements for compliance and transparency.

Last year, the SPF ran a series of remote drop-in sessions hosted by Faithorn Farrell Timms (FFT)’s Lee Maskell, which gave members the opportunity to drill down into every aspect of the proposed changes and put their questions to our procurement experts. This year, we will be continuing to work with FFT to support our members and ensure they have access to the most up-to-date information and resources.

#2 Net Zero Goals

The Future Homes Standard, set to be introduced this year, will require the sector to adopt more energy-efficient technologies and sustainable business practices to reach the government’s Net Zero goals. Service providers will need to adapt to the stricter regulations for lower carbon emissions and improved insulation standards for new builds and any retrofit works.

Despite the expected challenges around the implementation of the Future Homes Standard, this will create opportunities for specialist service providers, who can demonstrate a proven track record in delivering against specific Net Zero targets. We are optimistic that this is a positive step for the sector as a whole and will foster an ongoing spirit of collaboration between clients and service providers as we work together to create more cost effective, compliant solutions that meet the needs of residents and their communities.

#3 Healthy Homes

The imminent announcement of successful Wave 3 grant applications for the government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund presents exciting opportunities for service providers to support the sector with schemes that will enhance energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty through targeted retrofit projects.

It also begs the question: “Is it time to take a more holistic approach?”. With a growing focus on the correlation between sustainable homes and resident wellbeing, service providers will need to address the wider context and consider their role in supporting housing providers to deliver social, economic and environmental benefits for residents alongside the immediate goal to create warm, safe homes.

This is likely to be an ongoing theme throughout 2025, and we are looking forward to following the journey of members who are working with housing providers on Wave 3 funded initiatives, to hear more about the implementation of their latest projects.

#4 New Technology and AI

With IoT-enabled systems offering innovative solutions to everything – from identifying maintenance issues before they escalate, to software that monitors and shares energy data in real time, there is no doubt that smart technology is changing the way social housing is designed, built and managed.

For service providers, the shift towards more data-driven decision making and workflows that use AI-powered analytics has already had a positive impact on reducing unnecessary callouts and improving communication with residents. With the sector coming under more scrutiny to demonstrate greater transparency, service providers with the resources to invest in the latest technology are likely to benefit from greater integration between systems that have the ability to support the delivery of high quality housing stock. The challenge for SMEs will be to weigh up the initial financial outlay against the return on their investment to ensure they can provide a competitive offering to their clients.

#5 Building Safety

The government's Remedial Acceleration Plan, set to come into force in Autumn 2025 will be another game changer for the sector. With three key aims focused on remediating all 18m+ high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding by the end of 2029, the plan is focused on fixing buildings faster, identifying all unsafe buildings and protecting residents from any financial burdens of remediation. This presents a huge opportunity for service providers with experience in identifying and rectifying unsafe cladding, and we will be encouraging our members to take a proactive approach to checking their compliance procedures meet the stricter timelines and protocols expected in the Autumn.

#6 The Skills Gap

A long-term issue, but with new legislation, grants and business opportunities coming into play in 2025, service providers will need to mobilise teams of highly trained professionals in order to meet the increased demand for a skilled workforce.

Our sector offers huge scope for rewarding, long-term careers that provide individuals with the chance to develop skills and shore up expertise for the future. By collaborating with initiatives such as Skills England, service providers can engage with training programmes and apprenticeships to help them stay competitive, reduce labour shortages and ensure the housing sector is in a good place for the future. We will continue to monitor the skills gap throughout 2025 and share best practice with our members.

Meet the team at NHMF 2025

In a competitive marketplace, the opportunity to be a part of a vibrant forum, where members are sharing their expertise and working together to solve common challenges is invaluable. As we kick off the year at the annual NHMF Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon, the SPF team are looking forward to hearing more about upcoming trends and using our findings to shape the events programme for 2025.

We’ll also be leading the NHMF Service Provider Forum - What's New? Session on Wednesday 22 January at 1:40pm in the Main Hall, so make sure you come along to say hello and find out how you can get involved in helping us to create closer working relationships between all providers and clients.

Become a member

If you’re not a member of the SPF, and you want to be among the first to learn about how we can collaboratively tackle the challenges facing us as a sector, now is the time to join. Please click here to find out more.

Related articles

Our mission statement

The centre of excellence for improving property performance

The NHMF is the leading body representing housing providers, committed to championing innovation to deliver excellence in maintenance and asset management