The two London boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond upon Thames Council have gone live with NPS Housing, Northgate Public Services’ (NPS) Housing system.  The technology is set to transform the councils’ housing services through online self-service capability and allow mobile working for staff.

Using NPS Housing, residents can apply for housing, request property repairs or pay rent online via a mobile phone, PC or tablet.

Housing staff will have access to real-time information on their tenants and leaseholders whether they are out with their residents or in the office, allowing them to search for information, update information and log repair requests regardless of their location

William Middleton, Implementation Project Manager for Wandsworth & Richmond Councils, says: “To future-proof our service it was vital that we allowed customers to do more for themselves via self-service and enable staff to be able to work remotely on a modern housing management system.

“Giving our officers a complete picture of any individual’s circumstances will transform our service, it will allow us to offer the best possible support for our residents  whether we are in a tenant’s home or literally anywhere in the borough.”

Roger Birkinshaw, housing director for Northgate Public Services, said: “Making the transition to NPS Housing’s cloud-based solution brings huge benefits to both customers and staff, as both councils are now able to work in a more modern and efficient way. Giving staff access to NPS Housing over the internet on a tablet is something all landlords should benefit from. Our working practices are changing and in social housing more than ever.”

Before embarking on the transformation, the councils conducted a thorough capability study of available solutions, involving staff from both boroughs and in a variety of job roles in the decision process.

NPS Housing was selected for its off the shelf functionality, exciting functional roadmap and ability to scale with both councils’ future vision for housing.