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Ten free operational playbooks for social housing maintenance supervisors — built from direct sector experience. Everything here is free, permanent and requires no account.
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Playbooks & resources
11 free playbooks across four operational categories. Free to download, no login required.
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Free tools hub
Six live interactive tools — TSM tracker, Awaab's Law timer, DLO comparison, van stock optimiser and more.
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Insights & blog
Sector commentary, operational thinking and views from Mike Wilson and Chris McKellar. Updated weekly.
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Featured playbook — Available now

Materials Management — Reducing Leakage at Operative Level

A comprehensive operational guide to understanding, managing and reducing failed first-time appointments. Root cause analysis, operative accountability, planning controls and KPI measurement — built from direct DLO experience.

DLO management Operative performance Cost control Mike Wilson
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Frontline Supervision
Practical guidance for trade supervisors managing operatives, performance and day-to-day operations.

Materials Management

Reducing leakage at operative level — spend data, difficult conversations, repair vs replace.

Managing Operative Performance

Four types, three stages, clear documentation — without going straight to HR.

Van Stock Management

Setting the standard, auditing consistently, keeping it right over time.

The Abortive Visit Playbook

Five types, data patterns, gaming indicators and how to act on them.

Post-Completion Inspection

Setting up a programme, what to inspect by trade, tenant interaction and using the data.

Return to Work Interviews

The most effective absence management tool available — how to use it properly.

Running a Daily Operational Huddle

Ten minutes. Every day. The five-component structure that actually works.

The Failed Appointments Playbook

Five categories of failure, who owns each one, and how to reduce them.

Onboarding a New Operative

The first 90 days — phases, buddy selection, trade assessment and the 90-day review.

Managing the Difficult Conversation

The five-step structure for the conversation before it becomes a formal process.

Dealing with a Tenant Complaint About an Operative

How to investigate fairly, respond properly and use the learning.

Running a Monthly One-to-One

Structure, content and how to make it genuinely useful — not just a tick-box.

Managing Sickness Absence Patterns

Bradford Factor, trigger points, OH referrals and the conversations that matter.

Writing a Meaningful Job Note

Why most job notes are useless, what a good one contains and why it matters.

Managing Seasonal Demand Peaks

Winter heating failures, summer voids and how to resource against predictable pressure.

Planning & Scheduling
Tools for managing responsive repairs programmes, sub-contractors and operational capacity.

Managing Sub-Contractor Monthly Meetings

Service consistency, invoice control, variations and protecting your DLO capability.

Working Effectively with Your Planner

Roles, boundaries, daily touchpoints and the relationship that makes or breaks the day.

Understanding Your Works Management System Data

What the numbers actually mean, what distorts them and how to use data to run a better operation.

Managing a Responsive Repairs Programme

Priorities, SLA management, capacity vs demand and the triage decisions that matter.

Void Management — Getting Properties Back Fast

Trade sequencing, repair vs replace decisions and the TSM implications of void turnaround.

Managing Emergency Repairs

What counts as an emergency, response protocols, out-of-hours and the gaps that expose organisations.

Compliance & Regulation
Awaab's Law, safeguarding, health and safety obligations and what supervisors must know.

Safeguarding for Maintenance Supervisors

What to look for, what to do and how to build a culture of reporting.

Managing Damp and Mould Under Awaab's Law

Investigation, remediation, tenant conversation and welfare obligations.

Gas Safety — What a Supervisor Needs to Know

Access management, overdue services, tenant refusal and the legal obligations that cannot be ignored.

Electrical Safety and EICR Management

The compliance picture, EICR codes and timescales, and what supervisors own in the programme.

Asbestos Awareness for Maintenance Supervisors

Where it is found, the stop-and-notify rule and what to do when a potential ACM is discovered.

Fire Safety in Social Housing — The Supervisor's Role

Post-Grenfell obligations, fire doors, fire stopping and building fire safety into every job.

Leadership & Culture
For experienced supervisors and Heads of Repairs building high-performing teams and leading through change.

Building a High-Performing Maintenance Team

Culture, standards, recognition and the practical actions that actually change how a team performs.

Managing in a Multi-Trade Environment

Trade tensions, job ownership, cross-trade working and the skills matrix every supervisor needs.

Leading Through Organisational Change

TUPE, restructures, new systems and keeping the team focused when everything else is moving.

Making the Case to Your Manager

How to escalate problems effectively, use data to persuade and get the decisions you need.

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✦ Mike Wilson — This week
“The most expensive thing in responsive maintenance isn’t the materials or the labour. It’s the return visit that never gets counted because nobody owns the number.”
MW
Mike Wilson
Tristar Consulting · socialhousing.ai
Read the full piece →
✦ Chris McKellar — This week
“The organisations that are winning on compliance right now aren’t doing more than the others. They’re doing the basics with more consistency. That’s it.”
CM
Chris McKellar
Formula Consulting · socialhousing.ai
Read the full piece →