Warwick District Council’s landlord operations manager for housing services, Andy Nott, explains how the council’s use of Mobysoft’s software has cut arrears and improved financial support for tenants.
Mobysoft: Why did you choose Mobysoft’s Automated Arrears Prevention (AAP) software?
Andy Nott: Warwick District Council had previously done well in terms of arrears reduction, with our use of Mobysoft’s RentSense contributing to a 10 per cent reduction in arrears (July 2022-June 2023), a 10 per cent reduction in average household arrears and 139 households out of arrears and into credit over the past 12 months.
We wanted to improve further so opted for the AAP platform. This is an AI-based system that flags tenants who are likely to fall into arrears within the next three months and automates contact with them with needing the involvement of council staff.
How did RentSense originally help?
RentSense helps us to identify patterns of arrears and then prioritise cases that need immediate attention. This data-driven approach meant that our income-maximisation officers could focus their efforts more effectively – after all, RentSense’s ability to process and analyse vast amounts of data far exceeds our manual capabilities.
What prompted the addition of AAP?
Despite our success with RentSense, increasing financial pressures on tenants meant that more proactive measures were necessary – we noticed that some tenants were slipping into arrears despite our best efforts.
The challenge was to predict those cases early enough to prevent arrears from escalating. AAP did this by using AI to forecast the potential cases of arrears and automate the initial contact. This allowed us to intervene much earlier and offer support before the situation worsened.
What impact has AAP had?
Since we’ve start to use AAP, we’ve seen an ongoing reduction in arrears and a notable decrease in the number of tenants falling into arrears. The automation of initial contact has freed our officers to focus on more complex cases, improving overall efficiency. Furthermore, our tenants appreciate the timely reminders because they help them manage their finances better.
Since integrating AAP with RentSense, we’ve seen some remarkable results. For example, we have achieved our lowest-ever arrears of £997,000 (the first time arrears have been below £1m) as well as a 10 per cent reduction in the average arrears value. In addition, around 20 per cent of tenants messaged via AAP made an immediate payment.
What feedback have you received from end-users?
Our staff really appreciate how the automated processes reduce their caseloads, allowing them to spend more time on direct tenant engagement and support. AAP’s predictive analytics also help them to feel more confident in their decisions, knowing those decisions are backed by reliable data and insights.
Andy Nott is the landlord operations manager for housing services at Warwick District Council.
