From today the dedicated ‘My Home’ area of elha.com affords tenants the opportunity to manage their tenancy, rent and repairs, through a secure page, accessed with a unique username and password.

In conjunction with SDM Housing Software, who specialise exclusively in social housing software solutions, Castleton Technology plc; a provider of technology products and software solutions to the social housing sector, and East Lothian based designers Intimation Creative Ltd.; cutting edge digital technology has been developed to launch the user friendly interface, leading the field within the UK housing sector.

Martin Pollhammer, chief executive of East Lothian Housing Association, explained the levels of testing involved prior to the introduction of this software, a key stage of the continuing digital revolution.

He said: “February sees the culmination of many months of research and software development. Security was one of the prime considerations in the development of My Home and the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) has been hugely informative and helpful in assisting ELHA and our partners to ensure that our data is stored safely and securely and that the appropriate audit trails are in place.”

Martin presented ELHA’s innovative and forward thinking solutions to industry executives from throughout the UK, at various recent conferences for housing providers, and the approach is now available to other organisations to adopt.

He said: “My Home, is not only expected to lead the way for other UK housing providers to follow suit, but revolutionise the way tenanted properties are managed, and is a clear demonstration of the Association’s commitment to digital services. I am extremely proud that East Lothian is being considered ground breakers in this area, but the most important thing is that our tenants get to experience these services before anyone else.”

Martin added: “The advantages for tenants and ELHA of implementing ‘My Home’ reach far beyond the ease of use of a secure system. ‘My Home’ will be accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and provide a paper-free solution to property management. Speed, ease and of course environmental benefits were of huge consideration throughout the whole development process. Clients can now liaise with ELHA and access all relevant services and information relating to their property, at a time to suit them, all designed to work on a range of devices from a basic smart phone to the latest iPad or laptop.”

As well as managing their own rent payments and repair appointments through My Home, tenants can get information about their home (like bin collection dates and central heating instructions), as well as complete forms and file and retrieve their own documents, giving genuine control back to ELHA tenants over the management of their home and tenancy.