Residential Logbook Association expands amid growing industry demand
The RLBA is witnessing growing uptake of its members’ services; particularly since the recent Levelling Up White Paper which calls for the use of upfront information and logbooks. To meet the demand, the RLBA confirms continuous growth plans by extending its membership network into different client areas.
The body’s latest member is proptech specialist Virtual Viewing which focuses on commercial utilisation of centralised BIM data (Building Information Modelling).
Nigel Walley, Chair of the RLBA, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Virtual Viewing to our organisation. Having a member on board that can help lead the advocacy in a specific industry field such as BIM will be a valuable addition to our service offering. We are also keen for logbooks to be picked up by the new-build housing sector and Virtual Viewing’s experience in large residential blocks will be highly beneficial.”
Stewart Bailey, director of Virtual Viewing, added:
“There are so many regulations post-Grenfell and it’s important that changes are being implemented. The RLBA’s work plays an important role in this and we are excited to now be a part of this forward-thinking organisation. The Government’s Levelling Up White Paper has already led to many vendors wanting to incorporate logbooks and digital solutions into their projects. Going forward, we foresee the requirement for these to only get stronger across the whole of the property industry with particular demand from housebuilders, developers as well as estate agents.”
Why the industry needs logbooks
Every aspect of managing our homes is moving online. Every organisation the RLBA deals with, from utilities to local councils, is building services that want consumers to provide information digitally. A property logbook is a tool to help manage these relations in one place. On top of this, logbooks help build a record of the property’s contents, creating a useful record that grows over time. Should the owner decide to sell up or re-mortgage, all information is available at their fingertips.
The RLBA says logbooks can go much further than their current use. Walley said:
“We can support data that’s required to help evaluations of properties which will be useful for mortgage and insurance purposes. Our members are also working with local authorities to discuss the integration of logbooks for their portfolio.”
Last but not least, the RLBA suggests for logbooks to play a significant role in the process of making UK homes more energy efficient, effectively helping achieve the Government’s net-zero goals.
To find out more about the RLBA, please visit www.rlba.org.uk. For more details on Virtual Viewing, please see www.virtualviewing.co.uk.
