How Housing Providers are using ARK’s Strategic Asset Performance (ASAP) Model

By Danny Trueman · 28 April 2025

How Housing Providers Use ARK’s Strategic Asset Performance Model (ASAP)

One of the most persistent challenges in social housing asset management is understanding where investment will deliver the most value, and where it may not be justified. Whether deciding if a void property is worth refurbishing or checking that a planned programme is targeting the right homes, decisions informed by intelligent use of data tend to be more sustainable.

As of April 2024, the Regulator of Social Housing’s new consumer standards, specifically the Safety and Quality Homes Standard, require landlords to understand the condition of all their homes and use that information to provide safe, quality housing. ASAP supports this requirement by helping organisations capture, analyse and act on asset performance data in a consistent and evidence-based way.

This is the context in which ARK’s Strategic Asset Performance (ASAP) Model was developed. Its aim is to support more consistent and evidence-based decisions about housing stock.

The Thinking Behind ASAP

The model was originally created to help housing providers to really understand the relative performance of their assets, using multiple data sets already available to them, including property, financial, people and market focussed data. Over time, the model has become a core tool for managing stock viability, planned investment programmes and void property decisions. One of its most widely used features is the Scenario Planning tool, which allows users to explore different investment options and their potential impact on asset performance.

Scenario Planning in Practice

Scenario planning allows housing providers to test the outcomes of different investment decisions before they are made. It is often used when properties are identified as ‘poor performers’, and a decision needs to be made about whether to invest in refurbishment or to take another approach.

For example, if a property requires significant investment to meet lettable standards, the costs can be entered into the Scenario Planner along with other financial variables such as a potential rent increase, reduced void and repair costs and reduced calls on the organisations management resources. The model calculates the net cost of the investment over a 30-year period and shows whether it will increase the property’s Net Present Value (NPV) and improve its asset grading.

In practical terms, this allows teams to make a more informed decision. If the NPV increases significantly, the investment may be justified. If the property still underperforms, the model may suggest that an alternative use or disposal are better options. In either case, the organisation is basing its approach on comprehensive data and long-term value, not just lifecycle assumptions or one-off survey results.

Using ASAP to Inform Investment Planning

While many cyclical improvement programmes are based on lifecycle data — such as replacing kitchens or boilers every set number of years — this does not always reflect need or the reality of stock performance. ASAP enables asset managers to take a more targeted approach.

By reviewing whether properties scheduled for improvements are viable in the long term, organisations can avoid investing in homes that are already marked for disposal or significant reconfiguration. Danny Trueman, ARK’s Data and Insights Manager, gives a useful example:

“If ASAP prevents you from installing two kitchens in properties that really need to be demolished and rebuilt, you’ve already saved £16,000. It pays for itself just by avoiding that mistake.”

This kind of insight is particularly valuable when budgets are constrained, and each decision must demonstrate both financial and social value.

A Standard Part of Void Management

One of the most common uses of ASAP is when poorly performing properties are becoming void. In most organisations, 5 to 7 percent of homes become void each year, which means that consistent, evidence-based decision making in these moments can have a substantial cumulative impact.

ASAP helps asset teams to:

• Review the current asset grading of a void property
• Estimate whether investment will increase its NPV
• Compare the property to the wider stock performance
• Understand the longer-term implications of investing or disposing

In several organisations, reviewing a property on ASAP has become a standard part of the void process. The Scenario Planner is particularly helpful at this stage, enabling quick analysis of what a proposed investment might achieve.

From Strategy to Daily Decision Making

Although ASAP is often seen as a tool for strategic planning, it is used just as frequently to support everyday decisions. Asset managers use it to inform void decisions, prioritise upcoming investment programmes, and prepare for discussions with leadership teams.

In some organisations, it has replaced older spreadsheet-based approaches. Danny recalls his experience working at a housing provider where staff routinely used an early version of the model to guide void-related decisions. That practice has since become common across a number of housing associations.

The key benefit is consistency. Whether an organisation is reviewing one property or considering a whole estate, ASAP provides a framework for aligning investment with performance.

If you are working through these kinds of decisions in your own organisation and want to understand how tools like ASAP might support that process, our Data and Insights team is happy to share more detail about how the model is used in practice. Get in touch today to find out more.