Newham Council has delivered a significant breakthrough in tackling temporary accommodation (TA) rent arrears, increasing collections by £1.9m over the past 12 months with the support of RentSense, Mobysoft’s AI-powered intelligent arrears management software.
With more than 7,100 households in temporary accommodation and demand rising by an average of 11 new placements each week, the local authority faced mounting financial pressure — spending around £1.8m per week on TA alone. The scale and complexity of managing TA debt required smarter, faster decision-making across its income services.
By utilising RentSense, Newham Council has been able to drive operational efficiencies by identifying priority cases, reducing wasted effort, and enabling earlier, targeted contact with tenants via automated SMS messaging.
The platform’s ability to produce accurate, actionable case lists for officers each week has allowed the team to maximise their limited capacity and maintain high levels of performance, even during periods of staff absence or resource strain.
Simon Barton, Head of Housing Income Collection at Newham Council, said: “Last year we ended with £1.9m more in collections for temporary accommodation, despite rising case numbers. That wouldn’t have been possible without the early intervention and efficiency RentSense provides.
“It’s been a core part of how we manage arrears, particularly in a high-pressure environment like TA, where delays in processing or missed claims can quickly escalate into significant debt.”
In April 2024, the council achieved a 101% rent collection rate on temporary accommodation, a performance that reflects the combined impact of improved arrears targeting, revised tenant communications, and proactive management practices supported by RentSense.
Ian Huston, Mobysoft’s Regional Director for London, said: “Newham’s results show what’s possible when teams use data intelligently and back it with operational reform.
“RentSense allows stretched income teams to focus on the right cases at the right time — and in environments like TA, that precision is essential.”
Newham’s success is a clear example of how combining intelligent technology with agile, responsive service design can deliver real financial savings and better outcomes for tenants — even in the most challenging operational contexts.
Housing Digital Stakeholder Mobysoft is one of the fastest growing software as a service-providers in the UK. Its RentSense product helps landlords sustain more tenancies, deliver efficiencies, and protect revenues.
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