Affordable housing provider Stonewater has partnered with AI specialist SPOTR to introduce a new approach to property management. The SPOTR AI image analysis platform is designed to enhance the speed and regularity of risk assessments by utilising uploaded and open-source images.
SPOTR's software has been developed to assess photographs from properties, identifying potential risks such as damp, mould, cracks, and other dangers. The system then highlights these issues and recommends appropriate actions, collating results into a single platform to support repair and maintenance planning.
Stonewater, which manages over 40,000 homes across the UK, began testing SPOTR's AI technology following a knowledge exchange with Dutch housing associations. Robert Panou, Director of Asset Strategy, Homes, at Stonewater, stated that while annual safety checks are regular, full property assessments can sometimes be several years apart. The company has spent a year working with SPOTR to train the AI software specifically on UK homes.
Dirk Huibers, CEO and Cofounder of SPOTR, noted that the software provides an Asset Management System that uses AI to add an extra layer of support to operational capacity. He added that the AI image assessment tool is intended to supplement, rather than replace, human expertise.