Document processing is at the heart of every housing authority's operations. Whether it's during intake, managing waitlists, completing lease-ups, handling property management, or performing recertifications, critical documents must be processed accurately and timely. These documents determine everything from a household's eligibility to the amount of rental assistance they'll receive. 

However, the process of reviewing and verifying these documents can be extremely time consuming. Housing specialists, who juggle multiple tasks, spend a good portion of their valuable time processing household documentation. The costs, time and stress associated with this type of repetitive work begins to add up. 

Take recertification packets, for example. These are crucial to confirming that the households your housing authority serves continue to meet program eligibility requirements and that the right rental amounts are being provided. Each recertification packet contains a host of documents like pay stubs, bank statements, photo IDs which must be reviewed by hand.

Let’s break down the cost and time. The average housing specialist earns about $21 per hour. Processing a single recertification packet takes roughly 40 minutes, which comes out to around $14 per packet. If your housing authority assists 15,000 families and performs biannual recertifications, that means you’re processing 7,500 recertifications every year. 

That totals to an annual cost of $105,000.00 or 5,000 total working hours just for recertifications!

Now, think beyond just recertifications…

What about the cost of processing individual documents like photo IDs, paystubs, lease agreements, and dense RFTAs (Request for Tenancy Approval)? Imagine how much of your housing authority’s budget—funded by HUD—goes towards the manual review. Now imagine how this creates bottlenecks in your operations that slow down service delivery and negatively impact landlord participation. 

Our team at MABLE has created a free calculator below so you can figure out your own housing authority’s yearly recertification costs. If you’re looking to reduce costs, provide faster housing assistance, and boost housing supply, give us a call! We’d be happy to explain how MABLE can streamline your operations and increase efficiency at your housing authority.

Time is money. Allow MABLE Software to help you save both.

‍