27th August 2025
With cost-of-living pressures rising, arrears are a top concern for housing providers. But the answer isn’t more chasing, it’s smarter tenant engagement – with proactive, joined-up services that support tenants while protecting income. By combining proactive services with integrated technology, providers can support tenants earlier, protect rental income and minimise costly voids.
For many, the challenge lies in ensuring staff across multiple teams and channels have the right information at the right time. That’s where integration with the contact centre takes rent arrears management to the next level.
As of March 2025, 43% of general‑needs tenants on Universal Credit were in rent arrears, compared to 24% of tenants paying by other means.
Whether a tenant gets in touch by phone, chat, email or webform, they expect a smooth experience. Ordinarily, agents might handle only the immediate query – like booking a repair – without visibility of arrears.
With Rent-IQ integrated into the contact centre, rent arrears management becomes proactive. Staff see real-time alerts, with predictive payment behaviour monitoring. So, they can spot issues early and act proactively, allowing them to:
Integration doesn’t just save time. It breaks down silos across the organisation. By sharing arrears insights across all contact centre channels, teams in maintenance, housing management and income have the same single tenant view.
Another major advantage is a complete communications history. The income team can instantly access every interaction with a tenant across all channels. This not only improves consistency but also provides clear evidence in court if cases progress to legal action.
It also helps providers demonstrate data-driven compliance with new regulations, such as Awaab’s Law, which requires timely action on property hazards. The result? A unified tenant experience where every interaction is informed, empathetic and consistent.
With Rent-IQ integrated into the contact centre, staff don’t just see who is already in arrears – they also get early warning signs of who might fall behind. The system analyses payment behaviour and flags tenants at risk, so income teams can:
This turns arrears management from reactive debt chasing into proactive engagement. It helps providers protect income while supporting tenants more effectively.
Protecting income isn’t only about arrears. Every empty home means lost rent – and in 2023–24 alone, voids cost the social housing sector an estimated £1.6 billion in lost rent, repairs and re-lettings.
With the contact centre as the hub, voids management becomes part of the same joined-up strategy. By giving repairs, lettings and income teams real-time visibility, providers can:
Just as with arrears, the contact centre provides the single view that protects income at every stage – from reducing arrears risk to minimising void loss.
Voids aren’t just empty homes — they cost the social housing sector £1.6 billion in 2023–24. Average re-let times remain as high as 74 days.
Rent income collection doesn’t have to be reactive.
By embedding Rent-IQ’s predictive analytics, automated workflows and proactive communications into the contact centre, housing providers create a centralised hub for smarter tenant engagement. The contact centre becomes the intelligence hub, bringing together:
The result? Faster arrears intervention, quicker void re-let times and empathetic, consistent tenant experiences.
Arrears and voids will always be challenges for housing providers, but they don’t have to disrupt your operations. By integrating Rent-IQ into the multi-channel contact centre, providers can:
It’s a clear example of how technology transforms rent arrears management and void turnaround, while delivering better outcomes for tenants and organisations alike.
Housing providers can reduce arrears by acting early, using predictive analytics to identify at-risk tenants and offering supportive engagement. Integrated contact centres ensure staff have visibility of arrears across every channel, making early intervention easier and more effective.
Tenant engagement is crucial. When tenants feel supported through proactive communication, they are more likely to engage positively. This shifts conversations away from debt chasing and towards solutions, improving rent collection rates.
Void turnaround delays often stem from poor coordination between repairs, lettings and income teams. With an integrated contact centre, providers gain shared visibility of property readiness and tenant updates, reducing re-let times and minimising income loss.
Integrated contact centres provide a full communications history across every tenant interaction. This enables providers to evidence communications in court proceedings and demonstrate compliance with regulations such as Awaab’s Law.
Rent-IQ is a predictive analytics and arrears management solution. When integrated with the contact centre, it flags tenants at risk of arrears, prioritises high-risk cases, automates workflows and helps providers reduce void loss. All while improving tenant engagement.
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Learn how Rent-IQ, amplified by contact centre integration, helps housing providers act sooner, reduce void loss and protect income — while supporting tenants.
