The latest generation of Northgate Public Services’ housing management system is now based on software-as-a-service (SaaS), enabling its customers’ tenants and housing staff to access the same software and perform any relevant housing operation from any device.
Tenants will be able to use self-service to pay rent, report repairs and apply for housing online via a tablet or smartphone. Northgate said that the change will also mean that housing staff will instantly become a mobile workforce because all their key tasks could be performed remotely just as easily via a tablet as on a desktop computer.
The new cloud-based software also supports open integration with external services. If a housing provider wants to use PayPal so that tenants can pay for services then that element can simply be added to the platform and can be accessed easily via Northgate Housing. Likewise, if a charity creates an app for reporting on the health and welfare of elderly tenants, then that can be added too through a system of open APIs.
Roger Birkinshaw, director of housing, Northgate Public Services, said, “This is a sector that has changed beyond recognition in the past 10 years and we can’t expect that pace of change to slow down, so our goal was to create a housing solution without boundaries.
“Northgate Housing offers full self-service for tenants, mobile working where it’s needed and an open infrastructure that allows for plug-and-play development, and is available in the cloud as a fully-managed service.”
