
NEW ONLINE SERVICES for Moray Council housing tenants or applicants have been declared a success after going live in January.
For the first time tenants have been able to use ‘Moray Connected’, a new online system that was six months in the creation.
Now the local authority has said the system is a major success, with 45 housing offers made online while 986 tenants used the system to pay their rent from the comfort of their homes. The system includes an automatic ‘rent reminder’ texting system, with 159 having already taken advantage of that.
The system allows housing applicants to receive accommodation offers by email – and the ability to accept immediately. That is an alternative to applicants receiving a letter from the housing service and having to respond with a turnaround that often took as long as a week.
An automated text can also be sent when a tenant has forgotten to pay their rent – helping prevent their falling into arrears, while applicants can also view their current position on the housing list simply by entering their application reference number.
A Moray Council spokesman said: “Making the most of technology to create an efficient service for our tenants helps Moray Council keep rents low – they’re currently the lowest in Scotland despite the recent 5% increase.
“You can keep up-to-date with all the developments from the Moray Connected team by visiting the Moray Council website or tell the team what council services you’d like online by emailing connected@moray.gov.uk.”