by Innovus on 14 July 2026
The Client:
Colby River is a multi-award-winning residential property business, specialising in Build-to-Rent properties across the UK. With nearly 5,000 units and assets valued at over £1.25 billion, they deliver end-to-end property management, capital management and development services across multifamily, single-family and student accommodation sectors.
As a leading Build-to-Rent operator, the client places a significant emphasis on resident experience, community engagement and building safety across its portfolio. Colby River approached Innovus for the development and delivery of Resident Engagement Strategies for two higher-risk buildings in Old Trafford, Manchester: Botanica 1, comprising 171 apartments, and Botanica 2, comprising 110 apartments. Both developments offer a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes and fall within the scope of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Their Challenge:
Upon engaging Innovus, Colby River faced a tight timeframe for the Resident Engagement Strategies to be delivered, to meet regulatory requirements while ensuring residents remained informed, engaged and represented throughout the process.
Having experienced communication challenges with previous suppliers, the client team needed a partner that could provide clear project management, regular updates and a straightforward process from start to finish. They looked to us for confidence that deadlines would be met, feedback would be actioned promptly and that the final strategies would be both compliant and accessible to residents.
In addition, securing meaningful resident participation is often one of the biggest challenges in engagement projects. Resident consultation exercises frequently experience low response rates, making it difficult to gather representative feedback and demonstrate effective engagement.
Our Solution:
During the pre-sales process, our Director of Building Safety reviewed the client’s existing Resident Engagement Strategy documentation and engagement approach. They identified gaps and potential opportunities, highlighting these areas to the client in a consultative way. This provided immediate value and gave the client confidence in the proposed delivery process.
Following a thorough discovery call, our team worked closely with the client, gathering key building information, resident data and operational procedures before drafting tailored strategies for both Botanica blocks.
To maximise resident engagement, we co-branded the Resident Engagement Strategies and consultation materials to reflect the Botanica identity. Using familiar branding helped build trust in the communications, giving residents confidence that the consultation was genuine and encouraging higher participation. We also tailored all building-specific procedures, including emergency arrangements and communication pathways, ensuring the final documents accurately reflected how each building operates.
Clear communication was a priority throughout the project. We maintained regular contact throughout with frequent status updates and meetings, highlighted amendments within draft documents to make reviews straightforward and provided multiple opportunities for feedback and refinement. This collaborative approach ensured Colby River remained fully informed and involved at every stage.
As consultation responses began to come in, we actively monitored participation levels and identified an opportunity to improve engagement further. We recommended a targeted reminder campaign to residents, helping to increase response rates and strengthen the consultation process.
Once resident feedback had been gathered, we held a final collaborative review with the client to share key insights, discuss practical recommendations and refine the Resident Engagement Strategies where appropriate. By translating resident feedback into clear, actionable guidance, we helped Colby River move beyond compliance and gave them the confidence to successfully implement the strategies in practice.
This proactive approach was particularly valued by the client and demonstrated our commitment to achieving meaningful engagement rather than simply delivering documentation.
The Result:
While Resident Engagement Strategy projects can often take 12 weeks or more to complete, Innovus delivered the strategies for Botanica 1 and Botanica 2 in less than 10 weeks from project commencement, including client review periods and the statutory resident consultation. This enabled Colby River to meet its compliance deadlines without compromising on the quality of resident engagement.
Through a proactive and collaborative approach to resident engagement, Innovus helped achieve consultation response rates that were more than double those typically seen in similar engagement exercises. By building trust through co-branded communications, closely monitoring participation and recommending targeted reminder campaigns, we supported strong resident engagement and strengthened the overall consultation process.
Through clear communication, structured project management and proactive engagement support, Innovus delivered two fully tailored Resident Engagement Strategies that reflected both regulatory requirements and the needs of the resident community.
The project provided Colby River with:
- Fully compliant Resident Engagement Strategies for two higher-risk residential buildings.
- Clear and accessible resident communications tailored to each development.
- Strong resident participation and meaningful consultation feedback.
- A streamlined project experience supported by consistent communication and transparency.
- Confidence that residents' views had been incorporated into the final strategies.
Since the project was completed, the client has engaged Innovus for further instructions and commented on their satisfaction with the project management and communications process.
Feedback:
“I have recently worked with the Innovus team on the creation of our Resident Engagement Strategy (RES) for our Botanica building. The process has been very smooth, and the team have been consistently helpful throughout, with clear and effective communication at every stage.
Everyone involved has been approachable, supportive and always happy to help, which has made a real difference throughout the process. What has been particularly refreshing is how much the team have helped me understand and raise my own awareness of the RES requirements under the Building Safety Act.
What particularly stood out in the Innovus approach was that it never felt like a ‘tick-box exercise’ to meet the guidelines. The team genuinely cared about achieving the right outcome for the building and residents, and that came through clearly in the way they worked with us.
I’d like to pass on my thanks to everyone involved and would happily recommend Innovus to others looking for support in this area.”
Laura Murphy-Sykes
Compliance Manager
Colby River Property Management
If you need support with Resident Engagement Strategies, Building Safety Cases or wider Building Safety Act compliance, our Building Safety and Compliance team is here to help. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
