11%
Stockport Homes reduced arrears by 11% below their year-end target
50%
reduction in caseloads per officer
£130K
more former tenant debt recovered last year compared to the previous
Stockport Homes is an award-winning ALMO responsible for managing over 12,000 homes. With consistently strong performance in income collection, they sought to go further, shifting focus from managing arrears reactively to proactively supporting tenants in need. Their ambition was to drive efficiency and free up officers to have more meaningful, supportive conversations.
The Challenge
Driven by a commitment to excellence, Stockport Homes recognised the need to enhance their approach to tenant engagement. They wanted to reduce time spent on low level tasks and focus on meaningful interactions that truly support tenants. They wanted to make this possible by having greater accuracy in terms of case recommendations and by introducing automated contact.
“The team were spending a lot of time reviewing cases and deleting recommendations. It meant we couldn’t act as proactively as we wanted to.”
Christian Hartley, Assistant Director - Customer Excellence
The Solution
Caseload Manager offered an AI-powered, risk-based alternative to traditional rules-based systems. Stockport Homes quickly embraced the product’s ability to improve data accuracy, support daily case refreshes, and provide actionable recommendations.
With a well-prepared data team and a pragmatic approach to testing, the implementation process was fast and seamless.
“We didn’t over-test,” said Head of Income and Money Advice Leanne Merga. “We trusted the data, understood the difference in how the product worked, and that trust has paid off.”
By focusing on getting the data right at the outset, the team avoided unnecessary back-and-forth and gained confidence in the system's outputs. This solid data foundation helped build officer trust in the technology and enabled them to focus on tenant engagement rather than questioning system recommendations.
Leanne also noted the key distinction between Caseload Manager and their previous rules-based approach. “With a rules-based system, we were always trying to predict what mattered and often getting it wrong. With Caseload Manager, we’re working with a sophisticated algorithm that learns from real patterns in the data. It’s unbiased, consistent, and evidence-led. That’s made it easier for officers to trust the process, because they can see that cases are being surfaced based on genuine need, not arbitrary rules.”
She added that this shift allows officers to work with more autonomy and purpose: “You’re not just churning through a list, you’re looking at data that reflects real risk on your patch and deciding where your time and energy will make the biggest difference. It feels more human, more strategic, and much more rewarding.”.
The Results
Since implementation, Stockport Homes has seen a measurable impact across multiple Key Performance Indicators:
- Stockport Homes reduced arrears by 11% below their year-end target
- Reduced cash arrears by £65,000 in 11 weeks, compared to the same period the previous year
- 50% reduction in caseloads per officer - from 120 to 60.
- Greater officer wellbeing and engagement – now the highest performing team in the organisation in employee engagement surveys.
- Improved tenant outcomes – with more time available for in-depth support and meaningful conversations, particularly with vulnerable tenants.
- Fewer disruptions during absences – engagement with patches is now automated rather than redistributed, maintaining continuity.
Caseload Manager has also enabled Stockport Homes to take a strategic approach to pre-arrears, former tenant arrears, and niche areas like charges for providing 24-hour telecare services. “Everything we’ve put through the system has seen an improvement,” noted Christian. “It’s helping us collect harder-to-recover debt like FTAs, with over £130,000 more former tenant debt recovered last year compared to the previous.”
At the time of writing, Stockport Homes was:
- Tracking 0.5% ahead of target for arrears as a percentage of annual debit (2024/2025 target 1.81%; actual performance 1.61%).
- Already ahead of last year’s rent collection performance, despite a larger debit base.
Culture & Strategic Fit
The team’s move from a reactive to a quality-first approach has paid dividends...
“Staff are no longer pressured to rush through cases anymore. If someone needs longer to work on a case with a customer, it’s encouraged. That’s how we get better tenant outcomes.”
Leanne Merga, Head of Income and Money Advice
Stockport Homes’ internal culture has been critical to success: the income team has been awarded 3-star status in the Best Companies survey, been recognised internally for their Excellence in Stockport Homes annual staff awards and named Team of the Year at the Northern Housing Awards 2025. They also hosted a Caseload Manager User Day to share learnings with peers.
Looking Ahead
Stockport Homes are now exploring expanding Caseload Manager across more account types, including rechargeable repairs and court costs. They’re also development partners for Voicescape’s latest Agreements Manager solution and are trialling Voicescape Compliance.
“We’re an organisation committed to continuous improvement, putting customers at the heart of that. When something proves its value, we commit fully, and Caseload Manager has absolutely proven itself.”
Leanne Merga, Head of Income and Money Advice
Get in touch!
Want to see how Voicescape technology could help your housing association? Get in touch