Grand Union Housing Group

Taking back control of Access Management

The team was also keen to improve tenant engagement, to help foster a better sense of community within the blocks. Following a recent digital push, they opted for several wireless intercoms and an Interactive Digital Noticeboard, to transform access management and tenant communications at the sites.

Challenge

A long-standing not-for-profit organisation, Grand Union provides over 12,000 homes for more than 27,000 people across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire, with plans to build many more in the coming years. But at Bilberry Road and Kingsway House, home to around 350 tenants across 48 flats, the previous wired, fob-based system was causing headaches for the team. The technology at Bilberry Road had been vandalised and needed urgently updating, while keeping track of multiple fobs at Kingsway House was difficult and time-consuming. What’s more, the Kingsway House property is based in central Bedford, where tenants often held on to fobs even after moving out, so they could access the gated car park.

It wasn’t always easy to match the car to the real tenant – so how could they ensure only the current residents had access?

With two busy properties, Grand Union also had to coordinate contractors regularly entering the buildings too. The team would often need to buy new fobs and program them, before making sure they got into the right hands. But when considering all their options, repairing the current system would bring unexpected costs, with installers needing to run long cables and enter individual flats to update the hardwired handsets, as well as scaffolding outside to contend with. Already committed to exploring more digital solutions, it was a simple decision for Grand Union – choosing wireless access control technology would not only streamline the team’s management processes, but it would also improve accessibility and safety for the tenants.

Boosting Accessibility and Robustness with the DD-01

Vandal-resistant and user-friendly, the DD-01 intercom provides both housing management professionals and tenants with long-term peace of mind.

Designed specifically for affordable housing, the DD-01 is a cost-effective intercom, for safe, secure and durable property access. With plug-and-play technology and no software requirements, the panel is quick and easy to install and maintain too. Connected to a remote online management system, housing managers can oversee their properties from wherever they are based – and amend or delete tenant details in real time.

GSM-based, wireless technology also allows tenants to use their phones to answer the door, without the need for an individual handset in every flat. Plus, high-contrast buttons on the panel make access control easier for the visually impaired.

“Managing access control with the previous system was a nightmare.

The two properties were located far apart, which frequently meant having to drive back and forth to grant access to contractors or tenants. Now, having everything in one place puts us back in control.”

Henry Hogben
Mechanical Services Manager at Grand Union commented on the transformation.