Choosing housing case management software: the questions to ask
Ten questions to put to any supplier before you choose a case management system (CMS) for complaints, ASB, safeguarding and every other housing case.
Most case management systems demonstrate well. The difference shows six months in, when a complaint, an ASB case and a safeguarding concern all involve the same household.
Why the choice matters
Case management is where residents feel your service. A housing case management system (CMS) holds the story of every complaint, report and request, and it decides whether the next colleague can pick a case up without asking the resident to start again.
The questions to ask any supplier
1. Is every case type on one framework?
Ask how many case types run out of the box and how a new one is added. In Propsys360, more than 75 housing case types share one framework, and a new type is configuration rather than development. See the full list of case types.
2. Does each case sit on the resident, tenancy and property record?
A case that lives apart from the tenancy and the home cannot show patterns. Check that a complaint, a repair and the rent account are visible from the same record.
3. Are statutory timescales tracked automatically?
Complaint Handling Code stages and Awaab's Law clocks should start and escalate without anyone watching a spreadsheet.
4. How are sensitive cases handled?
Safeguarding and anti-social behaviour cases need vulnerability flags, careful handling of witness details and a chronology that would stand up in court.
5. Can cases be linked?
Hoarding, disrepair and ASB often involve the same household. Linked cases let every team see the whole picture.
6. What does the resident see?
Residents should be able to report, track and receive updates through a customer portal, without calling to chase.
7. Is the evidence trail complete?
Every action, message and document should be timestamped on the case, ready for the Housing Ombudsman or a court. See how complaints handling works.
8. Does it support tenancy sustainment?
Settling-in visits, temporary housing visits and welfare referrals belong in the same system as everything else. See tenancy support.
9. Will it work with the systems you keep?
Ask about Dynamics 365, SharePoint and Possession Claims Online. See Microsoft and data integrations.
10. How does reporting work?
Board packs and TSM reporting should come from live case data, not exports.
Next step
Bring one high-volume case journey, such as a complaint or a damp report, and see it run end to end. Book a demo, or read our housing management system buyer's guide if you are replacing more than case management.