H&F Council Starts Using Drones to Survey Homes
Says they will detect problems faster and save money in long term
Hammersmith & Fulham Council says it can detect problems more quickly and save money in the long term by using drones to help survey its homes and identify repairs.
Working with surveying company MLCS3, the council’s repairs and maintenance contractor Mitie have launched the drone flights over properties across the borough. The council says as well as saving money in the long term, the drones will help to improve services for tenants and leaseholders.
The drones are most often used in place of ugly and expensive scaffolding. Over the past few months, the council has used drones to help complete external surveys on properties at Burne Jones House on the Lytton Estate in West Kensington and Shepherds Court in Shepherd's Bush.
Members of H&F Council’s housing team and residents on the repairs group with a drone
Drones are operated by specially trained ‘pilots’ who can use the machines to record high quality images and films of building exteriors, allowing the council to safely survey the properties from the ground for the first time.
Once the drone is in the air, a surveying of a building takes just 30 minutes –compared to the days or weeks it would take using traditional scaffolding to complete inspections.
“Using drones is just one way of improving our customer service to residents and spotting repairs more quickly and more cheaply,” said Cllr Lisa Homan, H&F Cabinet Member for Housing. “These drones are light, agile and impressive to watch. They will also save us a significant amount of money – which means we can spend more on the repair and maintenance of our homes.”
“They are faster, cheaper and safer. What’s not to like?,” added Cllr Homan.
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