Salford housing association Salix Homes has been named amongst the top five digital landlords in the UK.

Salix Homes, which manages 8,000 homes across Salford, has come in at number four in the Top 30 Digital Housing Providers roll of honour, organised by Housing Digital.

The awards recognise the most technologically advanced housing providers who are championing digital transformation within the sector and have been able to use innovative tools and technology to respond effectively to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Salix Homes’ digital journey has seen the landlord launch a ground-breaking digital repairs service incorporating innovative chatbot technology; and become the first housing provider in the UK to fully embrace the public cloud.

Judges were also impressed with the MySalix customer portal – an online platform which enables residents to manage their tenancy at the touch of a button or tap of a phone.

Sue Sutton, chief executive at Salix Homes, said: “We pride ourselves on being a forward-thinking and progressive organisation that is rethinking the way housing services are provided in order to meet the demands of a modern, digital world, so to be recognised for our efforts in such prestigious sector awards is a real honour.

“The past 12 months will go down in history as the year the world changed forever, but for us it’s also been the year we’ve seen our technical innovation and digital modernisation plans put to the ultimate test.

“We set out to create a business that was fit for today and prepared for tomorrow, providing a fully digitalised service for our customers and colleagues. Thanks to our investment in future-proofing our systems, when Covid-19 hit we had the digital tools and technology in place to enable us to adapt quickly and effectively.

“From overhauling our whole ICT infrastructure, implementing a cloud-based CRM system and automating our repairs service with our pioneering chatbot, we’ve successfully transformed our housing services for a new era.”

It’s not the first time Salix Homes has been recognised for its digital innovation, it was also crowned Digital Landlord of the Year at the UK Housing Awards 2020.

Last year, Salix Homes launched its three-year plan Our Future, which sets out its commitment to continue to develop its digital services and become a housing association of the future.