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What The 2025 Global Accounts Data Reveals About the Future of Income Collection

The Regulator of Social Housing’s 2025 Global Accounts land at a pivotal moment for the sector. Financial pressure is intensifying, expectations on landlords continue to rise, and income teams are operating in an environment that is more complex and more exposed than at any point in recent memory.

While the headline figures focus on investment, debt, and development, the implications for income collection run much deeper. Read closely, the data reveals a sector where protecting rental income is fundamental to financial resilience, regulatory confidence, and long-term tenant outcomes.

For housing providers thinking about the future of income collection in the UK, the message is clear: arrears performance is no longer just an operational metric. It is a strategic one.

A Tougher Financial Backdrop Raises the Stakes for Income Collection

The Global Accounts show a sector continuing to invest heavily, particularly in existing homes. Total spend on repairs and maintenance rose by 13% to £10bn in the year to March 2025, with forecasts suggesting average annual investment of £10.9bn over the next five years

At the same time, overall sector debt increased to £105.4bn, while the total value of housing assets rose to £218.2bn. Development spend remained broadly consistent, with £14.2bn invested and around 54,000 new homes delivered.

On the surface, this points to stability. But scratch beneath it, and the pressure becomes clear. Rising costs, higher borrowing, and tighter margins leave far less room for income leakage.

This is where social housing income collection trends come sharply into focus. In a financially constrained environment, arrears performance has a direct impact on an organisation’s ability to fund services, maintain homes, and satisfy lenders and regulators alike.

Rent Arrears Trends Show Progress but Not by Accident

One of the more encouraging signals in the current landscape is that many providers are managing to hold arrears steady or reduce them, despite ongoing cost-of-living pressures and the continued rollout of Universal Credit migration.

According to Mark Walker, Income Maximisation Director at Mobysoft, this progress has not happened by chance. “Organisations are continuing to navigate cost-of-living challenges by reducing arrears,” he said. “We’re seeing predictive analytics platforms like RentSense playing a real role in driving arrears down and creating capacity for income teams at the same time.”

What makes these rent arrears trends across UK housing associations particularly striking is the context. Universal Migration has introduced greater volatility into household finances, yet many landlords are still improving outcomes.

Walker points to a shift in mindset as much as a shift in tooling. “What’s impressed me most over the last 12 months is the focus that social housing providers have on sustaining healthier tenancies by blending the human touch with smarter use of technology,” he explained.

That combination is increasingly defining what effective, data-driven income collection in social housing looks like.

Income Collection Challenges Are Becoming More Nuanced

The challenges facing income teams today are no longer just about affordability. They sit at the intersection of vulnerability, service demand, regulation, and internal efficiency.

The Global Accounts make it clear that the Regulator expects landlords to remain proactive, manage risk effectively, and maintain strong contingency plans as financial pressures persist

For income teams, that means moving away from reactive arrears management and towards earlier, more targeted intervention. Without prioritisation and insight, workloads quickly become unmanageable, engagement becomes transactional, and opportunities to prevent arrears are missed.

Social housing arrears data analysis shows that timing matters. Intervening days or weeks earlier can significantly reduce debt escalation, improve tenant engagement, and free up officer capacity.

A man and woman are standing in an empty room with large windows, holding cardboard boxes. The room has wooden flooring, and some moving boxes are placed nearby. Outside, a city view can be seen through the windows. ©Mobysoft

Getting It Right Early Is Shaping the Future of Rent Collection

One of the clearest themes emerging from both the data and day-to-day practice is the growing emphasis on prevention, particularly for new tenants.

“There’s definitely more focus on getting it right for new tenants,” said Walker. “Doing that supports workloads and arrears in the short term and the long term, but it also drives satisfaction. Income teams can play a genuinely positive role in building strong tenant relationships from day one.”

This preventative approach aligns closely with wider regulatory and consumer expectations, where outcomes such as satisfaction, tenant engagement, and tenancy sustainment are increasingly under scrutiny.

It also reflects a broader shift in the future of rent collection in the UK. Income management is no longer just about collecting rent owed. It is about supporting tenants earlier, identifying risk sooner, and preventing problems from taking root.

Investment in Existing Homes Sharpens the Focus on Income Risk

Record investment in existing stock continues to dominate sector spending, and that has direct implications for income teams.

Nick Beasley, Regional Director at Mobysoft, said the emphasis on decency, energy efficiency, and compliance is reshaping priorities across organisations.

“Providers are investing heavily to bring homes up to standard, accelerate planned maintenance, and meet both current and future compliance requirements,” he said. “That level of spend inevitably increases the importance of protecting rental income.”

As investment programmes expand, tolerance for avoidable arrears shrinks and the financial case for precision in income management becomes harder to ignore.

Stable Metrics Mask Underlying Pressure

Despite the challenges, Value for Money metrics remain broadly consistent with previous years. Beasley believes this reflects disciplined financial planning.

“VFM metrics being similar to last year points to balanced plans and financial astuteness,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons investors remain willing to lend, which you can see in the volume of new facilities and undrawn finance.”

But consistency should not be mistaken for comfort. Maintaining those metrics has required careful trade-offs, and income performance plays a central role in sustaining that balance.

In this context, housing association income management is no longer a back-office function. It is a key contributor to organisational stability.

Scale and Geography Complicate the National Picture

The Global Accounts also highlight increasing concentration within the sector. Just 19 providers now account for 47% of turnover, predominantly in London and the South East.

“When you’ve got hundreds of providers across the UK, but nearly half of turnover concentrated in one region, it inevitably skews the picture,” said Beasley. “It doesn’t always reflect the realities facing smaller or regional landlords.”

For income teams, this reinforces the need for localised insight. Benchmarking arrears performance without accounting for geography, stock profile, and tenant demographics risks drawing the wrong conclusions.

What the Global Accounts Tell Us About What Comes Next

Taken together, the 2025 Global Accounts underline a fundamental shift in how income collection is viewed across the sector.

Income is no longer just about cash flow. It underpins investment, regulatory confidence, and tenant outcomes. The impact of Global Accounts on rent collection is therefore profound.

As Beasley put it, “The sector has laid some solid foundations. With greater clarity around funding, regulation, and future requirements, there’s an opportunity to move to a more proactive model, improve services for tenants, and build resilience.”

For income teams, that proactive model is already taking shape. It is data-led, prevention-focused, and built around supporting tenants earlier and more effectively.

The Global Accounts do more than describe where the sector stands today. They offer a clear signal of where income collection must go next.

Ready to Turn Insight Into Action?

The challenges highlighted in the 2025 Global Accounts demand a smarter, more proactive approach to income management. If you want to understand how data-led insight can help your organisation reduce arrears, prioritise risk, and support tenants earlier — while strengthening financial resilience — speak to Mobysoft. Get in touch to discover how our platforms and services are helping housing providers across the UK transform income collection and prepare for future challenges.

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