Doing Retrofit With People, Not To Them

In this episode of Making Housing Better, host Jenny Danson, Co-Founder and CEO of Healthy Homes Hub, speaks with Claire Brown, Senior Consultant at Turner & Townsend and one of CITB’s 100 most influential women in construction, about why resident engagement can make or break retrofit programmes. 

Claire draws on over 20 years’ cross-sector experience to show why early, meaningful engagement isn’t a ‘nice to have’ — it’s essential to avoiding funding clawbacks, refusals, and stalled projects. She shares lessons from housing, policing, and other sectors, including her creative approach to reframing technical benefits into messages that matter to residents (think “carbon savings in stab vests” or “warm walls” instead of “insulation”). 

Key takeaways include: 

• Start engagement 6–12 months before installation to build trust and reduce refusals. 

• Use language that resonates with residents’ priorities — warmth, comfort, bills — rather than technical jargon. 

• Tailor engagement to communities; one size does not fit all. 

• Anticipate “small” issues like parking or scaffolding — they can be deal-breakers. 

• Gather feedback post-installation to refine future projects. 

Practical steps for housing providers: 

1. Map the resident journey from awareness to aftercare and identify engagement gaps. 

2. Translate technical benefits into everyday outcomes that matter to residents. 

3. Pilot works with early adopters to showcase real-life experiences. 

4. Allocate budget and time for pre-installation engagement, not just delivery. 

5. Train staff in empathetic communication and reflective listening.