In 2021 HomeViews has seen steady growth in terms of site visitors, partners and team members. As a result, we have plenty of highlights to review as the year draws to a close. Take a look back with us over 2021 to discover some key moments and look ahead at what’s to come in 2022.
HomeViews site traffic triples year-on-year
Traffic to HomeViews.com grew substantially during 2021 to reach three times the volumes seen in 2020. The vast majority of visitors find the site via organic searches – with most searching for reviews on specific developments or for information on the highest-rated new homes in specific regions.
New interactive homepage map reflects 33,000 reviews nationwide
A new interactive map landed on the HomeViews homepage in November. This illustrates the vastly expanded coverage HomeViews has achieved, with over 33,000 reviews across England, Scotland and Wales.
HomeViews partner total reaches 40, now including L&Q, Barratt London, Telford Homes and Simple Life
The number of prominent developers partnering with HomeViews continues to grow, with major signings for 2021 including Barratt London, Telford Homes, Simple Life and L&Q – our first housing association. Partners enjoying a range of benefits, including a data insights dashboard, marketing rights, detailed annual surveys and much more.
HomeViews data included in London Mayor’s Housing in London report
HomeViews data was requested by the Greater London Authority to provide residents insights for its Housing in London 2021 Report. This is the evidence base for the London Housing Strategy formed by the Mayor of London, and summarises key trends and patterns across topics relevant to housing in London. Read more and download the report here.
Housing Association review category added and G15 roundtable held
2021 saw HomeViews adding a review category for residents in housing association homes. Initial insights from this data were shared in a closed roundtable discussion with members of the G15 housing associations, alongside results from a survey for new HomeViews partner L&Q.
HomeViews partners capitalise on powerful dashboard features
Developers and operators partnering with HomeViews have been benefitting from using the Partner Dashboard tool. The dashboard allows users to manage review responses, as well as access detailed insights for KPI reporting and internal/industry benchmarking. 89% of reviews for partner developments were responded to in 2021.
HomeViews shows residents prefer tall buildings over non-tall
HomeViews data informed a new ‘resident insights’ section of the NLA London Tall Buildings Survey 2021. Review data showed that residents preferred tall buildings over non-tall, challenging the common assumption that high-rise living comes with compromises on standards of living. Find out more here.
Houses vs. Apartments white paper and webinar reveal unique insights
HomeViews published its first ever Houses vs. Apartments white paper in July, revealing how residents view the two types of homes. Ratings for houses and apartments achieved similarly positive overall ratings, with apartments achieving slightly higher than houses in every category except for Location. Find out more and download your copy of the report here.
HomeViews team doubles in size, including hires towards in-house tech team
HomeViews grew the size of its staff to double employee numbers in 2021, with new hires in marketing, sales, digital, account management and data analysis, and expanded freelance capacity for design and content departments. The company has also hired senior engineers towards the creation of an in-house technology team.
First HomeViews sustainability study reveals which green building features residents value
After introducing a new question on sustainability at the beginning of 2021, November saw the first HomeViews study on resident responses to sustainability. The report looked into whether sustainable building features were important to residents and which they valued the most. Interestingly, although 70% of reviewers overall said that these features were important to them, only 31% of first time buyers said that these were important. Find out more and download your copy here.
HomeViews 2021 BTR Awards expanded to reflect a rapidly growing sector
The 2021 Build to Rent Resident Choice Awards took place at the UKAA Build to Rent Fayre in November. Awards categories were expanded for 2021 to reflect industry feedback, as well as the expanded dataset available to HomeViews and the rapid growth of the BTR sector in the UK. Find out more here.
Partner adverts at Dublin Airport, in the Evening Standard and on the L&Q homepage use HomeViews reviews
HomeViews partners used our positive review content in a number of advertising campaigns in 2021. Greystar ran an outdoor advertising campaign at Dublin Airport, while Fairview New Homes ran print ads in the Evening Standard highlighting its status on HomeViews as the UK’s highest-rated housebuilder for first time buyers. L&Q also now features positive HomeViews reviews on its homepage.
Coming up in 2022
HomeViews Build to Rent Report 2022
The start of 2022 will see the new HomeViews Build to Rent Report published, featuring the most comprehensive range of insights into this sector available anywhere.
New BTS Resident Insights Report + New Homes Buyer’s Guide
The first ever HomeViews ‘resident insights’ report on Build to Sell developments in the UK will be published early in 2022, including a buyer’s guide based on tips from owners.
County level area guides and development rankings
The expansion of HomeViews review data will be displayed on site via county-level area guides and development rankings covering England, Scotland and Wales.
HomeViews provides verified resident reviews of the UK’s housing developments. We’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to recognise high performers and help improve standards in the built environment.
Find out more about partnering with HomeViews on our Business page.
