The Importance of Life Experience in Surveying
Marion recently hosted Hannah Howard-Jones, a Chartered Residential Management Surveyor and Director of Asset Management for Home Group, a national housing association on the Surveyor Hub Podcast.
Together, they explored topics ranging from housing disrepair to emotional intelligence in property management. They discuss the importance of understanding the built environment and people living in it, the challenges of housing repair and disrepair claims, the role of data in ensuring compliance and quality in property management, and the significance of visibility, inclusivity, fairness and continuous education in the housing sector.
From Bar Management to Building Surveying
Hannah’s career path started rather unconventionally. “Before I went into surveying, I was running a late-night bar in Cambridge,” she recounted. “It was great fun but incredibly unsociable. I realized it wasn’t going to give me the work-life balance I needed.” This realisation prompted her to pursue a Building Surveying degree at London South Bank University.
However, entering the industry during the recession posed significant challenges. “By the time I graduated, it was 2010 and the recession was in full swing. Nobody was really hiring graduates... I remember speaking to someone in building control who kindly explained, ‘We’re just awash with people that have got more experience.’” Faced with limited opportunities, she pivoted into property management.
“Most property managers say they fell into it, whereas I deliberately went into it in the hope that it would help me on my surveying career path,” she explained. This decision laid the foundation for her eventual specialization in residential property management.
The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Surveying
Hannah emphasises the importance of emotional intelligence in property management, particularly when dealing with housing disrepair and tenant relationships. Reflecting on a complex repair issue, she shared, “I remember dealing with a leak. It was coming from the roof, and it would only happen after torrential downpours. It turned out that there wasn’t a leak in the pipe; there was actually a blockage underground on an adjacent building site.”
Managing such situations requires balancing technical expertise with empathy. She explained, “The tenants at the time, they didn’t care. They just saw that we were incompetent. We had scaffolding up, we were doing water tests, we were exposing pipe work. It can be really complicated, particularly when you’re dealing with older buildings that have no as-built drawings.”
Surveyors, she noted, must play a dual role: detective and communicator. “You’ve got to understand the cause of the repair before you can actually fix it,” she said. “Surveyors have got a role to play in managing expectations.”
Bridging Challenges in Housing Associations
Working for Home Group has given Hannah a unique perspective on the housing sector. “Home Group is a national housing association. We’ve got properties all the way from Scotland down to Cornwall, about 58,000 homes,” she said. “It’s predominantly rented, affordable, social housing.”
She appreciates the sector’s commitment to addressing systemic issues like housing disrepair. Reflecting on recent legislative changes and the Awaab’s Law, she remarked, “It’s great that we’ve got the legislation to back it up, but it’s also incredibly disappointing that we need legislation to tell us what to do.”
Hannah’s work in asset management underscores the importance of a holistic approach to housing. “You can develop a building and it can look great. You can go and win some awards for architectural design. But actually, the real test is how the customer—the person living in that home—feels, and how that property performs,” she explained.
Representation and Visibility in Surveying
As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field, Hannah is passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion. Reflecting on her decision to co-chair a National Housing Federation conference, she said, “After a significant birthday, I decided it was time to stop being afraid and start being visible. If I’m not stepping up, I’m part of the problem.”
Hannah’s efforts were met with immediate affirmation. “After my talk, someone handed me a note that said, ‘Thank you for representing us.’ It was a powerful reminder of why visibility matters,” she shared.
She also highlighted the importance of allies in driving change. “It’s not just on women to fix the gender imbalance. We need men to recognise these issues and advocate for inclusivity,” she said.
Looking Ahead: A Holistic Approach to Surveying
For Hannah, the future of surveying lies in blending technical skills with human understanding. “We’re dealing with people’s homes, their safe spaces. That requires not just technical competence but also emotional intelligence and effective communication,” she emphasised.
She believes the profession must evolve to address modern challenges. “We’ve got to move beyond cookie-cutter approaches. Every property, every tenant, and every situation is unique,” she explained. “I get immense satisfaction from solving problems and creating fair solutions. At the end of the day, it’s about putting people in a better place—literally and figuratively.”
Enjoy this article? You might also like Career Crossroads
Find my content useful? I'd love to hear your suggestions and recommendations. If you found this article helpful, please share it and show your support by leaving me a Google review, or you can Buy Me a Coffee. Being a small business, it makes all the difference.
