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Throughout the project I used a variation of research methods to help build an accurate picture of what it’s like to live within a Property Guardianship. My main research question was to understand; How do Property Guardians navigate the balance of risk and reward to their benefit?

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I explored this questions by analysing the following three relationships.

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guardian: guardians

• The relationship between the Resident, and their status as a guardian, in addition to their relationship to other Guardians

 

Guardians: Space

• The relationship between the residents and the spaces they occupy

 

Guardians: Companies

• The relationship between the resident and the Guardian Company who manages thir property.

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As I have been living in Property Guardianships for almost 2 years, I was able to use my existing social network as locus from which I could reach out to new buildings and individuals.

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One-on-one semi-structured interview

The primary method of data collection has been one-on-one semi-structured interviews either in person, or by phone if not possible, lasting anywhere between 40 minutes to 1 hour. All interviews began with the participant detailing how they came to know about and live within a Property guardianship for the first time, running through their motivations at the time, and their intentions for the future. Throughout the conversation, should the interviewee touch upon one of the relationships detailed above, I would prompt for more specific details, explanations of the relationship, and any anecdote where applicable.

At the end of the interviews I turned to Instagram as a form of photo elicitation and brought up all images under #propertyguardian. I then asked the participants to pick out any photo, for any reason, read the caption, and explain what they thought about the photograph, in light of the knowledge they currently have about living in a property guardianship. I specifically chose Instagram because of the easy to navigate user interface, the casual and social nature of the medium was more fitting for the type of interviews I conducted, as opposed to searching directly on Property Guardian Websites.

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Group conversations

​ Although relationships within Guardianships can be fleeting, it’s not uncommon to move to different buildings and encounter the same people navigating the Guardianship circuit which meant I managed to cross paths with a few old building mates I had lost touch with over the past year whilst visiting people. I was able to formally organise 1 group conversation with Guardians I had lived within the past, however ended up having more group conversations by chance when visiting other Guardians. Group conversations were entirely unstructured, and mainly comprised of life updates, and interesting anecdotes about the new buildings that people lived in.

Often, within Property Guardianships, people may work on vastly different schedules, or living spaces may be spalled across incredibly large buildings, meaning digital spaces of communication become incredibly important for organisation. Every single participant I spoke to was part of a building wide WhatsApp, or email group, which seemed to encapsulate the tone of the social environment within each building.

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Participant observation

I was able to go to a fairly intensive property viewing where I was able to observer the scouting process for property guardians, and the sales side of Guardian Companies. The majority of Participant observation I undertook was within kitchen spaces in 2 different properties either pre or post interview with a participant.

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Digital Anthropology

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Taking a digital approach to the guardian market has assisted me both methodologically and analytically.

Methodologically, I was able to perform impromptu interviews with all the materials I needed as I was able to access Instagram easily for photo elicitation, as well as record conversations where possible. The environments in which I conducted my observation were casual and laid back meaning it would have been inappropriate to record notes textually whilst conversing, so being able to make recordings such as voice notes was particularly helpful.

 

Analytically, I was able to delve into the layered experience of being a Guardian. Residents don’t only experience their space in actuality, the experience it virtually in WhatsApp Groups and by email. The majority of communication they have with their Guardian Company as well as other Guardians are via digital means which mould the kind of relationship built. Digital spaces of communication serve as an extension of my field-site and add to the complication of how participants experience space and time.

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