Darlington Borough Council Reduces Arrears by £145,000 and Doubles FTA Collection with RentSense
Darlington Borough Council has significantly reduced its year-end rent arrears from over £1.03 million to £885,000—a £145,000 reduction—by embedding Mobysoft’s RentSense platform into its day-to-day income collection processes.
In addition, the council more than doubled its former tenant arrears collections, increasing them from £81,000 to £187,000 in a single financial year. The income team also maintained an impressive 91% caseload completion rate, ensuring consistent engagement and intervention with tenants.
The improvements come as part of a broader cultural shift within the income team—moving away from traditional, reactive methods toward data-led, preventative working. RentSense has enabled Darlington to target the right cases at the right time, automate early engagement, and significantly improve team efficiency and outcomes..
RentSense gives us the ability to focus early on the right cases. When you leave it too long, the arrears build up and it’s harder for the customer to recover. Early intervention prevents further financial hardship.
Sarah Williams, Income Team Leader at Darlington Borough Council
The council has embraced a more collaborative, team-based approach, with officers supporting one another to manage workload and hit completion targets. The introduction of automated messaging campaigns—including for rent consultations, new tenants, and social tariffs—has modernised tenant communications and enabled staff to reach more people with less manual effort.
In one standout example, a December rent campaign sent to tenants via RentSense’s automation functionality received a 67% response rate, far exceeding typical engagement benchmarks. Williams noted that tenants found the professional, branded messages more trustworthy and clear compared to previous generic SMS campaigns.
The use of RentSense’ Advanced Caselist feature has further empowered managers to track performance by patch, identify emerging issues such as spikes in Universal Credit migration, and direct support where it’s most needed. As a result, tenants are receiving earlier help—both those in arrears and those technically in credit but struggling in other ways.
“Darlington’s results show what can be achieved when data, technology, and a committed team come together,” said Nicola Wilson-Sanders, Mobysoft’s Regional Director (North). “They’ve shown how a small authority, working with limited external funding, can still drive exceptional results by making every action count.”
Williams added that RentSense has also helped staff better understand the “why” behind arrears cases, strengthening their confidence and judgement when assessing accounts. Regular use of reports and visual dashboards has helped reinforce performance and build team motivation.
“We’ve worked hard to change the culture. The team now understands that when you support people early, you help them avoid a crisis—and that ultimately strengthens our collections.”
To discover more about how Darlington Borough Council achieved these remarkable results, read the full case study.