Formula Consulting helps social housing organisations identify the root causes of underperformance in repairs and maintenance — and put in place practical, lasting improvements that make a real difference to residents and teams.
Our core focus is repairs and maintenance service improvement — identifying what is going wrong, understanding why, and working with your teams to fix it in ways that stick.
We do not produce reports that describe problems you already know about. We identify the causes, work with your people, and make sure the improvements actually land.
Formula Consulting is involved in socialhousing.ai — a platform providing practical AI tools, playbooks, and resources for housing professionals. Free to use, no login required. Built from real operational experience in the sector.
Visit socialhousing.ai →Formula Consulting was founded by Chris McKellar to bring clear, practical, sector-specific expertise to social housing organisations — with a primary focus on repairs and maintenance.
Chris has worked in and alongside social housing and local government organisations, building deep experience in repairs and maintenance operations, service improvement, performance management, and the practical use of data. He founded Formula Consulting to offer housing organisations the kind of honest, grounded, hands-on support that larger consultancies rarely provide — focused on finding what is not working and making sure it gets fixed.
Formula Consulting's primary focus is repairs and maintenance in social housing. This is where most of our work sits, and where we bring the deepest expertise. We understand R&M services from the inside — the operational pressures, the data challenges, the relationship between contractors and in-house teams, and the ways that small systemic failures compound into significant resident impact.
Our approach begins with diagnosis. We do not arrive with ready-made solutions — we start by understanding what is actually happening in your service, why performance is falling short, and where the real pressure points are. Only then do we work with you to develop and implement improvements that address the root causes, not just the symptoms.
Beyond R&M, we also support organisations with governance and compliance, performance reporting, and policy review — particularly where these touch on repairs and maintenance services. Data sits at the heart of how Chris works. Rather than treating numbers as a reporting exercise, he uses them as a diagnostic tool — interrogating what the data is really saying, identifying what it conceals as much as what it reveals, and using those insights to drive decisions and set direction. In a sector where performance data is often plentiful but poorly used, this ability to move from raw information to clear, evidence-based action is one of the most consistent sources of value we bring.
We also have a growing interest in how AI tools can support housing organisations to work more efficiently and effectively — through socialhousing.ai and direct advisory work. This is an emerging area, and we approach it with the same honesty we bring to everything else: focusing on genuine usefulness, not hype.
Formula Consulting is a small, independent consultancy. You work with Chris directly — not a junior team operating at arm's length from the person you hired.
Our work is led by repairs and maintenance service improvement. Everything else we offer connects to, and supports, that core focus.
This is where we spend most of our time and where we add the most value. When a repairs and maintenance service is not performing — whether that is resident satisfaction, completion times, first-time fix, cost, or contractor performance — we work with you to understand exactly what is driving the problem. We take a structured diagnostic approach, looking at the data, the processes, the people, and the systems. We then develop and support the implementation of practical improvements that address the real causes, not just the visible symptoms. We stay involved through implementation to make sure the changes actually land.
A thorough, independent review of your repairs and maintenance service from first contact through to completion and post-inspection. We look at how repairs are logged, prioritised, allocated, completed, and followed up — and we assess performance against benchmarks, regulatory expectations, and resident need. Reviews can cover the full service or focus on specific areas: responsive repairs, void management, planned maintenance, contractor management, or compliance work. The output is a clear, honest picture of where the service stands — and a practical plan for improvement.
Most housing organisations sit on a significant amount of repairs and maintenance data — but many find it difficult to use it effectively. We help you make sense of what your data is telling you: identifying patterns, failure points, and trends that point to where action is needed. We can help build or redesign KPI frameworks, produce meaningful performance analysis, and present findings clearly to non-specialist audiences including boards and committees. We are comfortable working with teams at any stage of their data journey.
Regulatory expectations around repairs and maintenance continue to evolve — particularly in the context of Awaab's Law, the Decent Homes Standard, and the Social Housing (Regulation) Act. We support organisations to understand their compliance position, prepare for inspections and self-assessments, and ensure that governance frameworks around R&M are proportionate and effective. We can help with committee and board reporting, regulatory returns, and ensuring your internal processes are fit for purpose.
Boards, committees, and senior leaders need clear, accurate information about repairs and maintenance performance to make good decisions. We produce reports and briefings that translate operational data into formats that are accessible and actionable — cutting through the noise to focus on what matters most. Whether you need a one-off report, a regular performance summary, or support in restructuring how repairs performance is communicated to your governance bodies, we can help.
Repairs and maintenance policies need to reflect current legislation and regulatory requirements — but they also need to be clear and workable for the staff and contractors who rely on them. We review existing R&M policies and procedures to check they are compliant, identify gaps or inconsistencies, and produce revised versions that are straightforward and practical. We can work across a full policy suite or focus on specific areas including responsive repairs, void standards, Awaab's Law compliance, and contractor management.
Through socialhousing.ai, we are exploring how AI tools can be applied practically and responsibly in social housing contexts — including in repairs and maintenance operations. This includes work on document drafting and summarisation, data analysis support, and resident communication. We work with organisations that are curious about AI but want to approach it carefully — helping them understand where it might genuinely add value, and where the limitations and risks lie.
A straightforward account of the work we have been involved in — no inflated case studies, just an honest picture of the experience we bring.
Formula Consulting's experience is rooted in repairs and maintenance operations in social housing. Chris McKellar has worked in and alongside housing teams, developing a practical understanding of how R&M services function, where they most commonly fail, and what it takes to make meaningful, lasting improvements. The work below reflects that experience honestly — it is representative and real, not exaggerated.
We would welcome an initial conversation — whether you have a specific piece of work in mind or simply want to explore whether we might be the right fit. No obligation, and you will always get a straight answer from Chris directly.
The most frequently encountered problems in social housing repairs and maintenance — how Formula Consulting approaches each one, and the depth of skill and direct experience brought to bear.
Operatives arriving without the right materials, skills, or information — leading to repeat visits, resident frustration, and unnecessary cost. Often a symptom of poor diagnosis at first contact or weak van stock management.
We analyse first-time fix data by operative, trade, job type, and contractor to identify where failure is concentrated. We then work upstream — examining how repairs are diagnosed, categorised, and allocated — to find and address the root cause rather than chasing the symptom.
Properties sitting empty for longer than necessary — costing rental income, creating deterioration risk, and leaving people waiting longer for homes. Typically driven by poor handover sequencing, unclear void standards, or contractor bottlenecks.
We map the end-to-end void journey, timing each stage and identifying where delays cluster. We look at property type, contractor performance, standard variations, and handover triggers — then work with the team to redesign the workflow and set realistic, monitored turnaround targets.
The same properties, residents, or repair types generating recurring demand — driving up cost, eroding resident confidence, and masking underlying asset or workmanship failures that are never properly addressed.
We interrogate repairs data to identify repeat patterns — by property, operative, contractor, and job category. This almost always reveals a small number of concentrated causes. We then develop targeted interventions: whether that is asset investment, operative retraining, or a change in how repeat repairs are categorised and escalated.
Organisations with plenty of data but little insight — where performance reports describe what happened rather than explaining why, and where leadership cannot easily see where the real problems lie or what to prioritise.
We work with existing data to build a clearer picture — not by adding more metrics, but by interrogating the right ones more deeply. We redesign how performance is presented so it points to action, not just compliance. The goal is a leadership team that uses data to make decisions rather than simply to report them.
Contractors missing appointments, completing poor-quality work, or failing to meet contractual KPIs — with housing teams lacking the data or confidence to hold them to account effectively. Often compounded by weak contract management processes and unclear escalation routes.
We analyse contractor performance data to build an objective picture of where standards are falling. We then support teams to strengthen contract management — clarifying expectations, improving how performance is monitored, and building the evidence base needed to have difficult conversations or trigger contract remedies.
New legal obligations requiring landlords to investigate and resolve damp and mould hazards within defined timeframes — with many organisations uncertain whether their current processes, recording systems, and response workflows are actually compliant.
We review existing policies, procedures, and case management processes against the legislative requirements — identifying gaps and recommending practical changes. We help teams understand what compliance looks like in practice, not just on paper, and support the development of clear internal guidance for frontline staff.
High rates of abortive visits — where operatives arrive to find residents not home, properties inaccessible, or jobs not ready to proceed. Each one represents wasted cost and a missed opportunity to fix a resident's home. Often treated as the resident's fault when the causes are more systemic.
We analyse abortive visit data to understand when, where, and why they are happening — examining appointment booking processes, confirmation systems, and scheduling practices. We identify whether the pattern points to process failure, communication gaps, or scheduling constraints, and develop targeted improvements accordingly.
TSM satisfaction scores below benchmarks, persistent complaint themes, or a general disconnect between what the data says and what residents experience. Often the most visible sign that something is wrong — but rarely the most useful starting point for understanding it.
We treat satisfaction data as a signpost, not a destination. We look underneath the scores — at completion times, repeat contacts, complaint patterns, and resident communication — to find what is actually driving dissatisfaction. Improvements to satisfaction follow from fixing the operational issues, not from managing the survey.