Member Article

High Performing Landlord creates Sizeable Efficiencies with Technology Investment

Equity Housing Group, based in Stockport, has slashed its income officers’ combined weekly caseload from over 1,000 cases to less than 300 through investing in predictive analytical tool Rentsense.

Equity has around 4,500 properties spread across 23 Local Authorities, which are predominately located in Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. Historically their performance around arrears and collections has been high and in the upper quartile, for example in 2014/15 arrears were at 1.2%. However, in April 2015 Equity deployed predictive analytical tool Rentsense to help create efficiencies to enable them to maintain performance in the light of welfare reform and the ongoing roll out of Universal Credit.

Jonathan Brownbill, Financial Inclusion Manager at Equity, commented:

“We needed Rentsense to help free up capacity, in turn what that has enabled us to do is have our officers spend more time with customers that need it, focusing on both support and enforcement where appropriate.”

Since deployment of Rentsense Equity has experienced a myriad of benefits, with the main aim of creating officer capacity being immediately realised, with it reducing the weekly caseload. Moreover, arrears have fallen to 0.8% (15/16) and Equity has achieved an enviable collection rate of 101.1%. Other outcomes include falling evictions (down to 7 from 15), agile working, falling former tenants’ arrears (FTA) as they can now dedicate two days a month to this rather than taking an ad hoc approach.

“We have found that Rentsense instils an officer culture around caseload completion which really works and brings the team together around a collective aim. For us it has delivered what we wanted which were efficiency benefits, but there have been many other benefits as well, from improved performance to a more focused approach to all activities.” Jonathan explained.

For further information about Equity Housing Group’s success you can read their case study by following this link.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Adrian Mills .