Frequently Asked Questions

Portals for People is a modern, comprehensive, and cost-effective property management platform designed to meet the needs of UK housing associations, housing providers, and local councils. It helps them manage properties, tenants, repairs, compliance, and reporting more efficiently.

Our platform is ideal for UK housing associations (particularly mid-sized organisations managing 1,000 to 20,000 units) and local councils managing affordable housing portfolios. It's built to address the specific challenges faced in the social housing sector.

Portals for People provides essential tools for housing management, including:

• Tenant and property information management
• Room allocation and occupancy tracking
• Repairs logging and maintenance task tracking
• Compliance document management (e.g., Gas Safety, EICR, Asbestos) with expiry alerts
• Housing Benefit information management
• Comprehensive reporting capabilities
• Automated notifications
• Full system auditing

Yes. A key feature is the compliance documentation module. You can securely store certificates (Gas, Electrical, Asbestos, Fire Alarms etc.), track expiry dates, and receive automatic alerts for upcoming renewals, helping you stay compliant.

Absolutely. The platform includes a built-in system for logging repairs, assigning tasks to relevant teams or contractors, and monitoring progress through to completion. Automated reminders help ensure tasks aren't missed.

Yes, the platform allows housing officers to manage Housing Benefit claim information effectively within the system, reducing manual effort and facilitating smoother communication with local authorities.

Portals for People offers real-time, customisable reports on key metrics such as property occupancy, empty rooms, tenant movements, repairs status, compliance document expiry, and missing documentation. Higher tiers offer enhanced reporting and predictive analytics capabilities.

We offer transparent, tiered pricing designed to be significantly more affordable than many competitors.  Please reach out to talk through pricing in more detail.

All tiers include the core functionalities, secure cloud hosting (SaaS), regular software updates (including compliance enhancements), standard support, dedicated onboarding assistance, and access to community forums. Higher tiers add advanced features, priority support, and dedicated account management.

The platform currently uses PHP for robust back-end processing and standard front-end technologies like JavaScript/jQuery for a responsive user experience. We have a clear roadmap to migrate to modern frameworks like React or Angular to enhance performance and scalability further.

Yes, Portals for People is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, hosted securely in the cloud. This ensures easy access, scalability, and removes the need for you to manage server infrastructure. We do not offer an on-premises version.

Security is paramount. We implement robust measures including multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption of data both in transit (TLS) and at rest (AES-256), Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP), adherence to PCI DSS standards for any payment processing, GDPR compliance, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions.

As a SaaS solution, deployment is designed to be quick with minimal disruption compared to traditional on-premise software. The exact timeline depends on factors like data migration complexity and integration needs, but we aim for a smooth and efficient onboarding process.

All clients receive support from dedicated onboarding specialists to ensure a seamless transition to the Portals for People platform.

We offer standard integrations, and our platform is designed to connect with other key systems used by housing providers. We can discuss specific integration requirements during consultation.

All clients receive standard technical support and access to community forums. Priority support options are available, offering faster response times, included in higher tiers or as an optional add-on for the Base tier.

Our key differentiators are:

• Cost-Effectiveness: Significantly lower pricing than many comparable systems.
• Ease of Implementation: Quick deployment via our SaaS model.
• Focused Functionality: Providing the essential tools housing providers need efficiently.
• Future-Ready: A clear roadmap aligned with sector trends.
• Transparency: Clear pricing and a focus on demonstrable ROI.
• Targeted: Particularly suited to the needs of mid-sized housing associations, housing providers, and local councils.