Social Housing Applicant & Waitlist Technologies
Technology is transforming the way social housing providers manage properties. The technological advancements that have already transformed financials and operations are now automating resident-based transactions. The results are increased efficiencies for clients and greater empowerment for staff.
Online social housing applications are a great example of this emerging technology. Imagine your team could manage applications and waitlists entirely online. They’d have drastically less paperwork to handle and would see a lot less data entry errors. Your applicants would get faster, more consistent intake processes and make fewer trips to your office. Your data, critical to every step of social housing administration, would be centralized, secure and available on demand.
Here are the main features to keep an eye out for as you upgrade your social housing management technology.
Revolutionized Application Process
Traditional social housing applicant intake processes rely heavily on in-person interviews. Those interviews run the risk of miscommunications and require a lot of time for your staff and prospective residents. Online, self-service application workflows present each applicant with a consistent experience, conveniently available 24/7. Applicants can submit their information when it’s most convenient for them from any web browser with digital accuracy. This provides more efficient use of staff’s time when reviewing applications.
Paperless Efficiency
Paper records are becoming a thing of the past thanks to innovations like electronic signatures. By going paperless, social housing providers can centralize digital applications into a single, cloud-based location. Your staff can review, verify and approve applications with fast, secure digital access to all documents. Writing letters, stuffing envelopes and purchasing postage are no longer part of the process.
Waitlists Managed in Real Time
Connected technology makes it possible for social housing providers to efficiently upload documents,respond to housing offers and notify staff of changes and pending approvals, in real time, and maintain updated waitlist. Online technology makes it possible to notify all waitlisted households when it’s time for them to log in and verify their current interest in housing assistance. That simplified, online transaction is nearly effortless for social housing providers and replaces the need to send forms back and forth in the mail to a lengthy waiting list.
Streamlined Communication
Relationship management is key to every successful social housing organization. This is an industry where people and communication are central. Electronic applications are a perfect way to create an online relationship that is nurtured even once an applicant is approved for residency. There’s no need to help new residents create a login, enter household information or complete other administrative tasks. Everything they’ve entered during the online housing application process is saved and automatically becomes a part of their resident record. Think about how that can empower your staff to focus on relationship management versus paperwork.
Social housing providers are using these types of innovative solutions to become more responsive to the needs of residents and to ease administrative workloads for staff. If it’s the right time for you to adopt new technology, remember it’s important to work collaboratively with experts who understand your industry to ensure a successful transition.
By Peter Altobelli
Peter Altobelli is Vice President of Sales and General Manager for Yardi Canada Ltd. Yardi develops industry-leading property and investment management software for all real estate asset classes.
