How Can a Document Management System Benefit Social Housing?

A Document Management System is how you get to know your tenants better and retain more accurate property records. With the Information Commissioner's Office issuing hefty fines to organisations who mishandle data, it is essential that your documents and information are kept safe and secure.

In addition, the government's latest Welfare Reforms mean that Housing Associations are under increasing pressure to provide a better service to their customers as well as reducing costs. Housing Associations are advised to include a document management solution in their future business planning.

There is a huge amount of paperwork and information handled in the social housing sector and new tenant information is captured every time. Property details, rental agreements, tenants, new applicants, new building projects, photos, architectural plans, repair maintenance details, gas company certificates are just some of the documents that are handled every day by housing staff.

Document Management for Social Housing

Documents and information are captured, stored and edited in digital document trays then stored securely in a centralised filing cabinet ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Staff can quickly retrieve documents within seconds without having to leave their desks.

Housing management data is updated every day so staff can select a tenant or property and save and retrieve information and documents in real time. The history of a tenant or property can be tracked and followed from the planning stage to handing over the keys.

Tenant requests can be answered and processed immediately, therefore saving staff huge amounts of time and significantly reducing storage costs for the organisation.

Here are just some of the benefits of implementing a digital Document Management System:-

• Housing officers can access tenant records on the go
• Maintenance staff can retrieve historical property repair information from their mobile device
• Tenant forms can be completed and uploaded onto a mobile device 
• Maintenance staff can scan documents and complete sign offs on site
• Photos of documents and properties can be uploaded instantly
• Tenants can access current information over the internet

For further information on how a Document Management System can benefit your organisation, please contact our sales team on 0161 647 7040 or email sales@doctech.co.uk

You can also find more on how we helped local social housing provider Moss Care St Vincent's