If Buildings Could Talk — DadShed
What would they say?
When your computer needs updating, it asks you to schedule a convenient time. Newer phones will detect, and notify you, if they have been exposed to water so you can let them dry before charging again — avoiding electrical damage.
What about your house or apartment?
Nobody is an expert at everything, so we rely on others to let us know when something might be wrong. This lets us take pre-emptive steps to avoid issues getting worse and/or causing complications down the line, and is especially important when it comes to the things we value most. So why do we not have similar systems in place for our homes?
Imagine if your home could send a text message any time it needed servicing, maintenance, repairs, inspections or to remind you that a legal, safety or compliance document is expiring soon. How much time, effort and money would you save that might have otherwise been spent stressing over forgotten admin dates and preventable repairs?
What we should be working towards is a technology platform that manages both static and living data which can be leveraged to allow buildings to tell us how they feel, and even make suggestions for us, so we can avoid being blindsided by property issues and adopt a more predictive — not reactive — strategy to property management.
‘Hey Marcia (homeowner), my gas certification is about to expire and I noticed you have a lodger. Would you like me to make an appointment with the previous gas-safe engineer for a safety reinspection?’
‘Hey Velody (landlord), have you or a tenant left the tap running? If not, I might have a pipe leak. Water has been continuously flowing for a day now. I can provide you with an emergency plumber contact or forward this notice to the estate agent.’
‘Hey Eliam (tenant), I noticed you are not home today. Would you like me to switch off the air conditioner to save electricity? Ignore this message to leave it on.’
The platform we are creating aims to simplify, and automate, the property management experience for occupiers, managers and developers alike. Providing a real-time digital platform that replaces the homeowner manual, facilitates collaboration and brings data to life for the long-term sustainability of our homes.
If you’d like to get involved, have any questions or feedback, please contact us at team@dadshed.com.
Originally published at dadshed.co.uk on June 25, 2021.
