Hexagon Housing Association has bought Mobysoft’s predictive technology to help mitigate the effects of on-going welfare reforms.
Tom Harding, housing services manager, Hexagon Housing Association, said, “It has become much harder to maintain our performance; over the past few years, the nationwide economy has meant more tenants are finding it harder to prioritise their rent payments.
“A variety of policies have made it more challenging. More tenants now receive partial Housing Benefit and the bedroom tax has also made some people liable rent payments for the first time.”
Commenting on the impact of the annual one per cent rent reductions that most housing providers now face and the consequent drive for cost-savings, Harding said, “The drive for efficiency meant staff were being expected to do more. We were increasingly finding that our methods of arrears control were not keeping up with all these changes. This meant we had to look for new ways to reduce arrears, and that is why we chose Mobysoft.”
Hexagon Housing is now using Mobysoft’s RentSense software which uses a series of complex algorithms to profile tenants and then accurately predict behavioural patterns relating to rent payments and arrears.
Harding said, “While RentSense is clearly a very technical and complex product, the result for end-users is very straightforward. It gives officers a clear list of cases that need attention, in priority groups. It also makes it easier for our senior staff to monitor performance and allocate resources where they are needed most.”
