Choice Based Lettings plays an important role in how housing organisations manage applications, match people to available homes, and maintain a fair, transparent allocation process. In England, housing authorities are required to have an allocation scheme that sets out how priorities are determined and what procedures are followed, including their policy on offering applicants choice or the opportunity to express preferences.
That is exactly why CDPSoft is introducing a new Choice Based Lettings module, currently in development.
Built in response to direct sector feedback, the module is being designed to remove some of the friction that can appear when housing teams are working across disconnected systems, separate records and fragmented reporting. The aim is to provide a more practical, joined-up way to manage the end-to-end process around applications, available properties, allocations and insight.
At its core, Choice Based Lettings is about more than listing vacancies. In practice, these schemes are intended to give applicants visibility of available homes and the ability to express interest in suitable properties, while supporting a clearer and more transparent allocation process.
CDPSoft’s approach is being developed with that operational reality in mind.
Rather than treating Choice Based Lettings as a standalone function with limited visibility elsewhere, the new module is being built so organisations can use it either as a standalone solution or as part of the wider CDPSoft platform. That matters because lettings activity does not sit in isolation. It often connects directly to homelessness prevention, temporary accommodation pressures, housing support, nominations workflows, property availability, reporting requirements and applicant communication.
By bringing these areas closer together, organisations can work with a more complete operational picture.
The new module is designed to connect with wider CDPSoft capabilities including:
- homelessness case management
- housing-related support
- Gateway
- reporting and KPI monitoring
- Power BI dashboards
- client portal access through CAFE
- allocations
- nominations
- matching
This more connected model is intended to help teams reduce duplication, improve visibility and move activity forward more efficiently. It also supports a clearer line of sight between demand, available stock, applicant activity and operational performance.
For applicants, that should mean a process that feels easier to navigate.
For housing teams, it should mean less manual handling between systems and a better view of what is happening across the lettings journey.
For managers and commissioners, it should mean better reporting, clearer oversight and stronger evidence for performance monitoring.
This is particularly relevant in an environment where allocation processes need to be transparent, structured and aligned to local policy. Government guidance is clear that allocation schemes must cover the procedures used to allocate accommodation, and must set out the authority’s approach to applicant choice and preferences. A well-connected digital workflow can make that easier to administer consistently.
CDPSoft’s Choice Based Lettings module is still in development, but the direction is clear. The focus is on building something practical, configurable and better connected to the wider realities of housing operations.
Not another isolated tool. A module designed to sit where it belongs, within the broader flow of housing delivery.
Interested in early updates?
We are now inviting housing organisations to join the announcement waitlist for updates on the development of CDPSoft’s new Choice Based Lettings module.