Managing heating in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) presents a unique set of challenges—from ensuring consistent comfort across multiple tenants to minimizing energy waste and responding quickly to technical issues. For one landlord, the widely used Hive system was falling short, leading to frequent disruptions, increased costs, and frustrated tenants.
This case study explores the decision to replace Hive with Control HQ, a smarter, more reliable heating control system designed specifically for the complexities of HMO living. We’ll look at what prompted the change, how the transition was handled, and the tangible benefits now being experienced across multiple properties—from enhanced energy efficiency to improved tenant satisfaction.
A: The Hive system was constantly causing issues. It had too many components that had to stay close to each other, and they frequently disconnected. Even though the app would show that everything was working fine, in reality, the heating wasn’t working—and I wouldn’t know until I got a call from the tenants.
I was repeatedly having to drive back to the property to sort out problems. I’d try moving things around to re-establish the connection, but it would just fail again days later with no warning. It wasn’t sustainable.
A: It went really well. We installed Control HQ in our first HMO and immediately saw improvements. Costs went down, and we’ve had no issues like the ones we had with Hive. That installation gave us the confidence to start putting it into a second property
A: The difference is night and day. Control HQ is far more sophisticated and packed with useful features. For example, I can now see when the house is unoccupied—like during holidays—and the system automatically turns the heating down. That kind of automation wasn’t possible with Hive.
Also, I can give tenants some autonomy within the parameters I set. So they feel like they have control over their environment, but I’m still managing energy use and cost effectively.
From a tenant comfort perspective, it’s a huge upgrade. Rooms are consistently warm when they should be, and tenants are no longer having to deal with broken heating or confusing controls. They enjoy a better, more reliable living environment—which reflects well on us as landlords.
And from an environmental standpoint, it’s a much more sustainable solution. Heating isn’t running when it’s not needed, and the system helps us actively reduce unnecessary energy consumption without sacrificing comfort. It’s a smarter way to run homes for both people and the planet.
A: Reliability was the biggest problem. The booster didn’t cover the whole house, and the system didn’t alert me when it failed to connect. I’d only find out when the tenants called to say the heating wasn’t working.
Also, during times like Reading Week when the tenants weren’t even in the house, Hive was still heating the property because it didn’t know they were gone. That was just wasted energy and money.
A: Absolutely. Based on the reliability, control, and overall tenant experience, I can’t see us using anything else in the future. We plan to install it in all the other properties we’re developing.
