Completed over 7200 tasks in Propely alone
Tøyenhagen Borettslag - the balance between the old and the modern
Tøyenhagen Borettlag (Housing association) is located at Tøyen in Oslo. The properties from 1890 are solidly constructed with beautiful brick facades with good light and air inward in the quarter. Tøyenhagen housing association was established in 1986 and as of 2024 has 122 apartments and approximately 250 residents in seven buildings.
Simen Aanerud took over as operations manager just over two years ago, and with him began a journey towards a smart and modern housing association. The goal was to gain control over tasks and deviations, collect data on consumption and work proactively on maintenance. In the search for a new operating system, ease of use was the focus of the operations team.
“We fell for Propely because they have a better user interface and a better understanding of everyday use,” Simen says.
The operations team wanted real-time data on the condition of the buildings and has connected several sensor providers to make that data available. This includes monitoring the indoor climate, water consumption, temperatures in water heaters, leaks and other relevant parameters that make it possible to act quickly in case of any deviations.
Playful and light
For the operations manager, it was important that the system they were going to use was user-oriented and easy to use.
“I like that it light and playful. Propely is an understandable system that can also be used by those who are not so tech-savvy. It should be fun to use the software as well. When it comes to completing deviations or creating tasks, it is positive that it is intuitively fun to do so”, comments Simen.
“Constantly on the move”
In a busy everyday life, it is important for the operations team to have a mobile solution that can be used outside the properties. With more than two years of using the Propely app, there has been high activity in the creation of tasks. Routines have been established that automatically generate tasks daily, in addition to the fixed rounds where deviations are detected and recorded directly in the app.
“With Propely, there is no high threshold for registering new anomalies, and that is important for the user experience. Now we get a record of everything that happens and can provide good reports to the board,” Simen says.
Did you know that 70% of Propely's usage is on a mobile app and that the most active users open the app between 15-20 times a day.
Propely's superb user
Propely currently has over 180 customers and more than 6000 properties in its platform. Although Simen has one of the smallest operational teams in Oslo, he is Propely's most active user. In just over two years, he has completed more than 7200 tasks alone.
CEO and co-founder Kristoffer Lundquist mentions that they have close dialogue with Tøyenhagen housing association and appreciate the high activity and commitment in the platform.
“Simen is an ambassador for operations and management managers who dare to invest in something new and modern. For them, the user experience is important to be able to use the mobile solution when they are out at work,” says Lundquist.
Efficient and structured operation
By using Propely's technology, Tøyenhagen housing association finds that its operations are more targeted and structured. They have set up around 60 fixed routines that are activated throughout the year and which further generate tasks with given deadlines.
“With Propely, we've lowered the threshold for what is an aberration, from cracks in the facade to faulty light bulbs. This gives a much clearer picture of my time spent and documentation that the work is being carried out,” Simen continues.
A concrete example of the usefulness of Propely was when the housing team received a fine from the City Environment Agency for having rasfare-flags up for too long. By generating a PDF in Propely with date and photo evidence, they could show when the flags were put up and taken down again. This resulted in them avoiding a NOK 5,000 fee.
'It's a reassurance to me to be able to point to all the checks and measures we take to secure lives and property. And that it's easy and quick to do it while I'm on the go.”
Generating reports to the board
The operations team uses Propely actively before the board meetings in order to provide a status on the buildings. They generate a PDF with an overview of the number of deviations that are closed and that are still open. This feature is very useful and is utilized using the setup of filters. The operations team also generates lists of deviations that are sent by mail to subcontractors, to provide them with an overview of what needs to be done, a description of the discrepancy, and information about the location of the deviation. This saves time and effort for both parties, as the subcontractors get all the necessary information gathered in one place.
“Propely has given us an overview we didn't have before. We have eliminated defective checklists on paper, and now everything we need for operations is gathered in one safe place we trust,” concludes the operations manager.
With the help of Propely, the operations team at Tøyenhagen housing association has reduced costs, increased safety and improved the overview of all maintenance tasks. They have achieved a more structured and targeted operation, while at the same time they have managed to document the work directly given to the board.