What we do

If you are an organisation interested in pursuing registration with the Regulator of Social Housing as a registered provider, our specialist team can offer ample support.

Our service offer includes:

• Advice on key requirements including relevant governance and policy development
• Board development, training and skills assessment
• Financial modelling, stress testing and business
• Treasury strategy and funding
• Application and regulatory engagement support throughout the process

We are highly experienced in aiding and guiding ‘for profit’ registered providers to navigate the regulatory framework, housing sector challenges, and business development opportunities.

Our services include:

• Regulatory engagement
• Sector updates
• Development of control, risk management and assurance frameworks
• Financial and stress test modelling
• Governance support, including advice on investor/shareholder relationships
• Strategy and business development opportunities, including joint venture arrangements and mergers and acquisitions
• Treasury and corporate finance support

Our expert and insightful reviews are a collaborative learning process which result in governance and board effectiveness improvements.

Activities include:

• Full governance reviews
• Document reviews
• Board appraisals
• Skills assessment
• Board and executive dynamics
• Digital governance tools specifically designed for the housing sector (Digi-Scoreboard governance survey and Altair Aptitude)

Our team have a breadth of skills, knowledge and experience that map across the regulatory standards. Our approach to regulatory support is to help organisations meet the Regulator’s requirements by providing independent challenge and insight.

Our services include:

• Specialist reviews and investigations
• Support with regulatory engagement
• IDA preparation and post IDA support
• Risk management – review and support
• Compliance reviews
• Regulatory returns – validation and review
• Rent reviews and guidance
• Value for Money health check

Whether you are considering your future options, in early talks, or looking to enter a partnership, our experienced team can provide support.

Our expertise includes:

• Initial options appraisal, including financial planning, stress testing, and lender exposures
• Lead advisor/project management
• Governance advisor
• Recruitment advisor
• Supporting the development of the outline and final business case
• Due diligence overview and assurance
• Treasury and growth strategy
• Credit review rating

Our activities include:

• Board appraisal processes – design and support with delivery
• Skills matrix design and assessment
• Design and facilitation of away days and workshops (board, executive and senior teams)
• Personality profiling (Lumina Spark^TM) and workshops to explore the impact on effective board behaviours
• Technical training delivery (webinar and in person) on a range of topics including risk management, health and safety and regulation
• Skills training delivery – including effective support and challenge, inclusive behaviours and handling difficult situations

Altair’s strategy development and research offering combines top-level housing sector expertise with practical analysis and financial modelling to help you stay ahead, ensuring you have the assurance you need to develop and implement effective, data-driven strategies and policies.

We publish evidence-based research findings and provide sector insights, thought leadership, and innovation. Our policy and insight work has led to changes to legislation, policy, and corporate strategies.

Ensuring that consumer regulations are met has always been core to the provision of housing services. The current changes to legislation mean that this is now a critical consideration.

Our services include:

• Compliance reviews and design of compliant processes
• Review of structures focussed on tenant feedback into governance processes
• Assurance over consultation processes
• Review and design of complaints and feedback handling processes

Working with clients to develop new corporate function-based strategies and developing new customer offers.

A core part of our work in this area is providing insight to support the development of new strategies, ways of working, and drive innovation. This includes working with boards and executive teams on horizon scanning activities, as well as bringing insight into best practice approaches and trends within and beyond the housing sector.

A TOM is a representation of how a service or company is organised to deliver its purpose and strategy. It sets out the capabilities required in an organisation, as well as the business case and roadmap for change.

We work with clients to develop TOMs at organisational and function levels in response to drivers such as cost reduction, channel shift, new technologies, sustainability, mergers, and preparation for growth, to enable performance improvement.

Our service design work includes areas such as process review and re-design, organisation design, cost benchmarking, customer journey mapping.

Examples of our work in this area include:

• Redesign of housing and finance functions to support the specification and procurement of new technology systems
• Review of housing and repairs services for a local authority
• Deep dive reviews into core services such as HR, Communications, Shared Owners and Customer Services to benchmark costs and identify improvements

We support organisations through the full change process: the set-up and planning of new programmes, through to the delivery of specific projects and activities such as Project Management Offices (PMO), reviewing programme governance structures, developing the skills of in-house teams, supporting implementation, and independent assurance to board on the delivery. We can also provide interim expertise to support the delivery of change programmes across a range of disciplines including IT, HR, change, and culture.

Strategic HR advice on issues such as mergers and growth, TUPE, organisational change, employee T&Cs, sensitive employee relations issues.

We offer independent advice and support on the review of reward at NED, Executive and staff levels.

Examples include:

• Independent advisor to remuneration and nominations committee
• Development of new deferred bonus reward strategy
• Providing pay and benefits benchmarking for all posts in an organisation
• Reviewing executive appraisal systems
• Independent investigation into grievances/disciplinaries
• Lead advisor on HR issues for merger

A core part of implementing change and ensuring strong performance is the pro-active development of organisation culture, values and behaviours.

We work with clients on culture and workforce planning activities, ranging from completing culture audits through to working with executive teams to define what future culture is required, and supporting culture change initiatives.

We support strategic workforce planning projects by working with clients to define what skills are required in the future workforce, completing gap analyses, and designing workforce development initiatives.

We offer operational support for the delivery of technology-based activities.

These activities include:

• Development of market-ready specifications for systems, infrastructure, and services
• Support for IT procurement processes
• Implementation management for systems and infrastructure including project design, data migration, testing, parallel running and go live
• Systems and technical experts to support projects
• Vendor management – systems and infrastructure providers, establishment of SLAs and KPIs
• Data review and assessment including future data design principles, reduction in instances, improvement in quality

Development of modern approaches to technology which enables the successful delivery of corporate and customer-based strategies.

Our work includes:

• Development of IT strategies
• ICT service reviews
• Review and rationalisation of systems portfolio and development of systems architecture
• Review and rationalisation of infrastructure services including data, telephony and contact centres and architecture design
• Development of cloud migration strategies
• Business case development including considerations of AI, robotics and IoT capabilities and cost benefit analysis assessment

We offer professional resource to registered providers, local authorities, and developers through interim placements and project work throughout all stages of the development lifecycle.

We create regeneration strategies for new homes and places, providing expertise to generate positive outcomes for neighbourhoods and communities.

We lead both large scale, cross boundary regeneration programmes and initiatives, as well as small infill site projects for clients, identifying opportunities to make the most of infill sites and redundant assets.

We work with clients to help them better understand the financial viability of their development opportunities. This includes:

• Financial Viability Assessments for local authorities and developers as part of planning applications and at appeal hearings
• Creation of bespoke Excel based development appraisal models
• Financial modelling of development options
• Housing affordability research

We offer management programmes for housing associations and developing local authority clients across the UK and internationally. Our development procedures help clients govern and manage projects through our established Gateway process.

We advise and act on behalf of clients on:

• Opportunity identification
• Negotiation
• Acquisition and disposals for residential, mixed use and regeneration opportunities

We adapt our services to our clients’ requirements, ensuring they remain aware of the financial value and risks of any new project or opportunity.

We help clients with:

• Professional technical consultancy support
• Responding to the Building Safety Act 2022 which places new requirements on registered providers and other landlords
• Tools to manage data and compliance

Our new digital tool, DynamicAIM, revolutionises the way building data is captured and managed; and helps ensure compliance.

Podplan is a user-friendly, flexible and adaptable viability toolkit that helps housing providers, developers and investors quickly understand the financial performance and viability of development projects and quantify risk.

It has evolved over time to become one of the most effective and reliable development appraisal toolkits available, and is used by over 30 developing organisations across the country.

Knowing what solutions are best for your organisation, cutting through the volume of data and approaches, can be tricky. Our sustainability experts can help you in assimilating key and relevant information based on your organisational profile.

We provide research and insights on:

• Renewable technology
• Retrofit approaches (PAS 2035 aligned)
• Low carbon and energy efficient practices
• Future gazing and proofing

Understanding where you are now and the journey to your end point is essential for a successful sustainability or net zero strategy. Our team can support your organisation to lay the foundations and create a meaningful sustainability strategy.

We can guide you with:

• Organisational carbon accounting
• Programme scoping and executive workshopping
• Designing net zero and sustainability strategies
• Decarbonisation roadmaps
• ESG strategy development
• Designing sustainable asset management strategies
• Designing sustainable procurement strategies

Once you have set the direction of your sustainability strategy, robust implementation is required. Our hybrid sustainability transformation consultants can support you with rolling out this change.

Our activities include:

• Programming planning
• Proactive PMO
• Implementation support
• Stakeholder engagement and behaviour change

We anticipate that the housing sector will adopt the Task Force of Climate Related Financial Disclosures principles. Being clear about your organisation’s exposure to climate related risks, the potential cost of damages, and mitigations will be essential future proofing. Insurers and lenders are starting to demand transparency on these matters.

Our sustainability risk management experts offer:

• Organisational horizon scanning
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Climate related financial impact assessments
• Governance, reporting and monitoring frameworks

The big question for the sector is how organisations will fund their net zero transformations. Government grants will not be sufficient and alternative solutions will be required. Our strategic financial planners can assist you in exploring alternative financing routes, from initial advice to accessing finance.

We can specially help you with:

• Sustainable finance options appraisals
• Business plan alignment
• ESG strategy alignment and readiness
• Debt advisory and requests for proposals
• Sustainable financing reporting

• Procurement and supply chain health check
• Supply chain impact mapping & remediation
• Supply relationship management
• Sustainability and procurement strategy alignment

We provide financial viability reviews for:

• Whole organisations
• Individual business streams
• Supported housing providers
• Care and support providers
• Stock acquisition and disposals

Our services include:

• Brixx model building, review and validation, and training and support as a Brixx certified partner
• Excel modelling (for new entrants, existing providers and local authorities and their local housing companies)
• Housing Revenue Account modelling – partnering with Housing Finance Associates (for local authorities)
• Stress testing, mitigations, and inflation impact evaluation
• Board training and workshop sessions

We work with clients on:

• Regulatory compliance
• Rent setting and policies
• Rent modelling and individual property rent calculations

Our expertise includes:

• Reviewing and benchmarking asset management assumptions
• Providing Podplan development viability toolkits. Used by over 30 developing organisations across the country, Podplan helps housing providers, developers, and investors quickly understand the financial performance and viability of development projects, and quantify risks
• Podplan is user-friendly, flexible and adaptable. It has evolved over time to become one of the most effective and reliable development appraisal toolkits available

We work with clients on value for money (VfM) processes which provide assurance of regulatory compliance, and design and develop the key elements to embed VfM.

Our services include:

• VfM healthcheck and strategy design
• Support with VfM regulatory compliance including VfM statement reviews and benchmarking support
• Identifying VfM indicators
• We partner with 4C, a sector procurement specialist

We help organisations meet the regulator’s requirements by providing independent challenge and insight.

This includes:

• IDA preparation and post IDA support
• Risk management – review and support
• Compliance reviews

Our services include:

• Pre and post-merger business planning
• Due diligence
• Treasury reviews

• We work with clients to support the embedding of a commercial approach into the delivery of an organisation’s purpose to make every pound spent or earnedwork as hard as possible.
• We understand the position of an organisation, its supply chain and its customers in the current commercial environment.
• We support robust decision-making on if and how to spend money through a consistent business case approach.
• We establish appropriate and compliant relationships with suppliers informed by business needs, market drivers and regulations to deliver measurable value.

We determine where an organisation is currently positioned commercially through analysis of their third-party spending, contract register and supply chain. Using appropriate tools either already in place within the customer organisation or brought in:

• We scrutinise and report on a minimum of two years of external spend to determine what is being bought and from whom, and for how much. Then taking this basic spend cube analysis further to drive greater insight and inform future commercial improvement initiatives.
• We interrogate the contracts register to determine what commercial arrangements are in place, how they are managed and how they are performing. This informs future commercial improvement and identifies any priority interventions required to ensure the continuity of services or mitigation of risk.
• Through an understanding of spend and contracts, we map the organisational supply chain and identify strategic suppliers, opportunities for commercial improvement, risks and added value.

We conduct a robust and scalable capability review of staff involved in commercial activities to determine current skill levels vs those required to meet the commercial strategy. Training and development programmes can also be developed and implemented as required.

Examples of our work in this area include:

• Commercial thinking sessions across all levels of an organisation, including leadership, procurement teams and technical staff.
• Skills training and workshops for organisation staff on Contract Management and Tendering.
• Evaluation training for customers involved in procurement projects.

As part of a wider-strategic Target Operating Model implementation or as a standalone initiative we work with and support organisations to identify the required capabilities and then develop a business case and roadmap for commercial improvement.

We support organisations through the full Commercial Improvement change process, including the set-up and planning of commercial and procurement programmes, procurement teams etc. Collaborating with other teams in Altair we can also support the delivery of specific projects and activities by reviewing governance structures, processes, policies and procedures system implementation or improved utilisation supporting implementation independent assurance to the board on the delivery.

Working with teams from across Altair we can also provide interim expertise to support the delivery of change programmes across various disciplines, including IT, HR, change, and culture.

• We can provide experienced procurement professionals to advise, support or lead projects throughout the procurement lifecycle, from the identification of the business need to decommissioning of a service or asset and everything in between including tendering.
• Procurement professionals can be provided longer term to assist organisations through surges in commercial activity through commercial improvement or whilst recruiting.

We can provide support to an organisation to ensure they are prepared for the transformation of Public Sector Procurement through the upcoming changes to the public procurement rules anticipated to land in 2024. This would include:

• Ensuring clients and their stakeholders understand the implications of the reform for their organisation
• Conducting a health check of procurement policies, processes and systems to ensure they are ready for the new regime and reporting back on any additional work required
• Working with the client to implement any improvements needed to ready the organisation for the changes to procurement regulations

We offer a structured methodology to conduct thorough due diligence on strategic suppliers. Our approach covers key pillars, providing a comprehensive understanding of supplier positions and mitigating risks, these pillars are:

• Business Intelligence: Analysing operational and strategic data to evaluate supplier positions.
• Financial Performance: Assessing current and projected financial health and stability.
• Risk Analysis: Evaluating risks from various sources, such as financial, operational, legal, market, and reputational factors.
• Sectoral Analysis: Understanding sector dynamics, trends, and competitive landscape.
• Commercial Insight: Providing market expertise to identify opportunities and support strategic decision-making.

Our methodology, backed by sector experience, ensures proportionate and risk-based due diligence tailored to each organisation’s needs. It mitigates strategic risks and offers comprehensive supplier assessments, and supports informed decision-making and ensures operational stability.

We work with clients to develop new approaches to funding the supply of affordable housing and widening access to it.

Our activities include:

• Research e.g. an Islamic Finance Options Review for the World Bank and Central Bank of Malaysia
• Product design and pilot schemes e.g. for Family Homes Funds flagship Help to Own affordable mortgage in Nigeria
• Performance measurement e.g. a comparative review of Real Estate Investment Trusts in seven African countries, for the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance

Our highly adaptable approach to market research provides clients with a comprehensive, detailed picture of a country’s housing sector and it’s wider environment.

We deploy a range of research methods:

• Desktop review
• Stakeholder interviews
• Focus groups
• Household surveys
• Site visits

Our market analysis methods can be used to inform the development of public policy, investment decisions, and other interventions.

We work with national governments, international organisations, financial institutions, local authorities, NGOs, and other actors to devise effective and innovative policy solutions to the housing crisis.

We believe that housing solutions must be environmentally sustainable as well as affordable.

We work closely with clients to:

• Design and implement ambitious yet achievable energy efficiency (EE) building codes and guidelines
• Enhance the capacity of stakeholders to collect and monitor EE data
• Promote the use of low-emissions construction materials
• Tie together the principles of affordability and sustainability, e.g. offering “green” low-cost mortgages, with discounts on interest rates, for homes with a high energy performance rating

We hold a strong track record of advising clients on the creation and transformation of financial vehicles, housing management companies, and other institutions.

Our experience in transformation includes:

• Leading on the design of organisational objectives, governance structures and staffing models
• Aiding governments in creating Special-Purpose Vehicles for property development
• Setting up a new management company to oversee the development of 50,000 affordable, environmentally friendly homes

We provide business planning and financial modelling services for a range of clients.

For example, using the software tool Brixx, a project in Rwanda required a detailed financial model to explore funding options for developing an estate of 2600 affordable, environmentally sustainable homes.