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Faster repairs, fewer backlogs: Q&A with Hasan Bayraktar

Hasan Bayraktar, SVP Commercial at Plentific, on first-time fixes, backlogs, HHSRS readiness, predictive maintenance and IoT that works beyond the pilot.

Phase 2 of Awaab's Law comes into force on 30 November 2026. It widens the duty from damp, mould and emergencies to a much broader set of HHSRS hazards. For repairs teams, that means more cases to triage, tighter deadlines and less room for a job to get lost between systems.

We sat down with Hasan Bayraktar, Senior Vice President Commercial at Plentific, to talk about what slows repairs down, what speeds them up, and where predictive maintenance is already working.

What do residents complain about most when it comes to repairs?

It comes down to a fragmented experience from start to finish.

When nobody has a full view of the repair journey, communication with residents suffers. That creates gaps at every stage: reporting the issue, booking an appointment, getting updates, getting the right operative and getting a fix that lasts.

Phase 2 of Awaab's Law adds pressure. Landlords will have to act on urgent issues faster, and those issues can still be misclassified or not escalated in time.

How can providers get more first-time fixes and bring backlogs down?

Start with scheduling. Dynamic scheduling matches each job to an in-house operative or contractor based on skills, certification, location, availability and likely duration. Not just the next free slot. That is what drives first-time fixes.

Multi-skilled operatives can deal with related defects in one visit. Complex cases should go straight to a specialist, not through a general inspection first. Plentific's Field Service Management connects work orders, field teams and residents, with dynamic scheduling built around exactly these factors.

Backlogs are a data problem. You need one connected control layer across resident reporting, work orders, in-house teams and external contractors. Every repair goes to the right resource. Stalled work becomes visible. And when demand outstrips your core workforce, extra capacity is there.

That capacity should come from a flexible contractor network, by trade and by location, without falling back on expensive emergency procurement. Plentific's Open Framework combines pre-procured supplier capacity with work order management, so jobs or whole packages of work go to contractors already under contract.

Phase 2 brings in the full set of HHSRS hazards. How should providers get ready?

By moving from reactive maintenance to an integrated, data-driven model of property operations.

Fragmented data and disconnected legacy platforms need to come together. Property data, data quality, operational workflows and resident engagement belong in one joined-up model. With a single operational view, you spot hazards earlier, triage more clearly, escalate faster and keep a stronger audit trail.

Technology does the heavy lifting here. Automation cuts manual handling. Better integration lets colleagues act on risks before they turn into crises. And AI embedded in well-governed platforms and workflows sharpens operational insight while keeping the control, transparency and data integrity a regulated sector like UK housing needs. The result is better outcomes for residents.

Where does technology let repairs teams down, and how do you fix it?

The core problem is disconnected systems instead of an end-to-end operating model. That leads to fragmented data, manual hand-offs and little visibility from the resident's first report through diagnosis, appointment, completion and assurance.

Providers need an interoperable property operations layer. Every authorised party works from a shared work order record, with clear ownership, common data standards and proper governance.

Weak diagnosis and triage are the other big issue. A poorly diagnosed repair means the wrong trade, too little time or missing parts. Agentic AI can automate risk rules and flag damp and mould, leaks, electrical hazards and vulnerable households for specialist review.

Put it together and you get a connected, resident-centred repairs ecosystem: reliable data, intelligent triage, dynamic field service management, flexible in-house or contractor capacity and transparent communication with residents. Follow-on jobs stop getting lost and first-time fix rates go up.

AI supports diagnosis, prioritisation, scheduling and predictive maintenance. That means fewer repeat visits, faster and safer resolution, stronger compliance evidence, lower cost per completed repair and more trust from residents.

Is predictive maintenance realistic yet?

Yes. Take damp and mould. Temperature, humidity and air quality data can identify sustained conditions linked to condensation and mould risk.

With leaks, unusual flow or moisture readings in water systems can trigger an investigation before serious damage is done. With heating, boiler age, fault codes and repair history, including cyclical maintenance, can point to a higher risk of failure.

The biggest opportunity is agentic AI as the operational layer that turns risk data into action. It brings together resident reports, repair histories, inspections, work orders, contractor performance and sensor or asset data, so triage gets sharper and workflows are orchestrated properly.

Beyond one-off pilots, where is IoT monitoring working day to day?

We have partnered with environmental monitoring specialist Switchee and data specialist TCW to tackle the full set of HHSRS hazards together and support proactive compliance.

Our Switchee integration brings environmental intelligence and operational workflows into one connected system. Real-time insights from Switchee devices show up directly in the Plentific platform. Providers understand property conditions, detect damp and mould risk earlier, automate responses, strengthen audit trails and act at scale. The outcome is warmer, safer, healthier and more compliant homes.

With TCW, we deliver automated, real-time compliance management. Certificate validation is streamlined and admin work drops, so social landlords stay ahead of regulation. TCW's compliance engine combined with Plentific's interface and contractor management tools takes the friction out of traditional compliance processes.

From first report to finished job, where are the sweet spots?

First, capture the issue accurately at the first point of contact. Then move from the nearest available operative to the best-matched operative with the right skills.

Offer appointment slots that reflect real travel times at that time of day. Give residents live job tracking with accurate arrival times. Then close the loop with reviews, quality scoring and SLA reporting.

The thread running through all of it is data continuity. An issue described by a resident, routed to the right operative, scheduled realistically, evidenced on completion and fed back into asset records. Break any link and the cost comes back later as a repeat visit, a missed appointment or a growing backlog.