Your voids and your admin are eating the profit
A supported housing void runs three to four weeks, and almost every enquiry that arrives out of hours goes unanswered. Signpost agents answer the calls, fill the beds, submit the housing benefit claims, write the support notes and chase the certificates. You keep the income and you buy back your time.
- Enquiry answered21:40, out of hours
- Claim submittedDay 1 of the licence
- Viewing bookedTomorrow, 11:00
The gap
Where the money actually goes
Every row is a job somebody on your team is doing by hand today, and what it costs you when it slips.
Void period per room
Very highToday
3 to 4 weeks
With agents
Under 1 week
Estimated value: Up to £2,100 per void
Enquiries answered out of hours
Very highToday
Almost none
With agents
Every one
Estimated value: £8k to £20k a year
Housing benefit claim submitted
HighToday
Day 5 to 14
With agents
Day 1
Estimated value: £600 to £1,400 per resident
SD1 to SD7 onboarding pack completed
HighToday
2 to 3 hours
With agents
20 minutes
Estimated value: 40 hours a month back
Support notes and outcomes written
Medium to highToday
6 hours a week
With agents
45 minutes a week
Estimated value: 20 hours a month back
Certificate expiry caught
Very highToday
After it lapses
With agents
60 days before
Estimated value: Avoids enforcement risk
Non engagement warnings issued on time
MediumToday
Patchy
With agents
Every time
Estimated value: A trail that stands up
| Job to be done | Your team today | With Signpost agents | Impact | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Void period per room | 3 to 4 weeks | Under 1 week | Very high | Up to £2,100 per void |
| Enquiries answered out of hours | Almost none | Every one | Very high | £8k to £20k a year |
| Housing benefit claim submitted | Day 5 to 14 | Day 1 | High | £600 to £1,400 per resident |
| SD1 to SD7 onboarding pack completed | 2 to 3 hours | 20 minutes | High | 40 hours a month back |
| Support notes and outcomes written | 6 hours a week | 45 minutes a week | Medium to high | 20 hours a month back |
| Certificate expiry caught | After it lapses | 60 days before | Very high | Avoids enforcement risk |
| Non engagement warnings issued on time | Patchy | Every time | Medium | A trail that stands up |
Every figure above is a modelled estimate for a typical Birmingham supported housing provider. None of it is a measured Signpost average. Put your own numbers into the calculator below.
Void cost calculator
What is an empty bed really costing you?
Move the sliders. This is money that has already left the building.
Lost per void period
£525
Lost every year
£2,100
If your void dropped to 1 week
You would keep £1,400 a year
Meet the team
Agents that do the job, not just the chat
Each one handles a real part of running supported accommodation, end to end, and hands over to you the moment a person is genuinely needed.
Ruby, the front deskNever miss an enquiry, even at 11pm
Ruby answers every call and message to your service, day or night. She checks eligibility against your criteria, takes the referrer’s details, and says honestly whether you have space. Then Connor rings back inside five minutes and books the viewing. The enquiry reaches you already qualified, and you did not touch it.
Ruby, the front desk
Referrer, 21:40
Hi, I have someone leaving hospital on Friday who needs supported accommodation. Do you have anything?
AI agentRuby
You are through to Signpost on behalf of Love Cosy Rooms, and I am an AI assistant. I can check availability now. Is this for a single adult, and are they claiming Universal Credit?
Referrer, 21:40
Single adult, yes, on UC.
AI agentRuby
We have one room in Erdington from Monday. I have held it and booked a viewing for tomorrow at 11. The full details are on their way to you by email now.
Oliver, the onboarding botSD1 to SD7, done the same day
Oliver walks a new resident through the whole pack: initial assessment, licence agreement, fire safety, missing persons, resident rights, risk assessment and support plan. Signed, dated, stored and ready for audit before the kettle has boiled.
Oliver, the onboarding bot
New resident
I have just been given the room. What do I need to do?
AI agentOliver
Welcome in. I am an AI assistant and I will take you through seven short forms. About twenty minutes, and you can stop any time and pick it back up.
New resident
Can I do it on my phone?
AI agentOliver
All of it. The link is on its way by text. Once you have signed, your support plan and fire safety brief go to your support worker automatically.
Harry, the HB claim botClaims in on day one, chased until they are paid
Harry submits the housing benefit or Universal Credit housing element claim the day the resident moves in, tracks the decision, chases the council when it stalls, and flags a shortfall before it turns into arrears you are absorbing.
Harry, the HB claim bot
AI agentHarry
Claim submitted for room 2, exempt accommodation, on day 1 of the licence. Reference recorded against the resident.
Provider
Any movement on it?
AI agentHarry
Chased on day 9 and again on day 16. The assessor confirmed exempt status this morning. Full weekly charge awarded, no shortfall, payment scheduled.
Sue, the support worker botNotes written while you talk
Sue turns a two minute voice note from a support worker into a dated support note with outcomes mapped against the support plan. Missed sessions, non engagement and ASB flags are raised on the right timeline, with the trail attached.
Sue, the support worker bot
Support worker, voice note
Saw Tom this morning, engaged well, we did the budgeting sheet, he is still not registered with a GP, chased twice now.
AI agentSue
Session logged, 1:1 keywork. Engagement good. Outcome progressed: financial capability, budgeting tool completed. Outstanding: GP registration, second chase recorded, flagged to support plan goal 3. No safeguarding concerns raised.
Ready made agents
Pick the job that hurts most
The ones that bill per use are priced in credits from the same wallet you already use for enquiries. The rest come with the service.
Before any of them
Ruby picks up. Connor calls back.
Ruby is the voice your residents and referrers actually reach, day or night. She checks they are eligible, takes the details and hands over. She is the front desk, she comes with the service, and she is not something you buy. Connor rings back inside five minutes and books the viewing.
Not a software company guessing
Signpost is built and run by a Birmingham supported accommodation provider delivering a 52 week support programme. Every agent here does a job we do ourselves, every week.
52
Week support programme
SD1 to 20
Forms we run ourselves
Birmingham
Built and tested here
£0
To list your rooms
How it works
Start free, add the service when you want it
List free
Create a provider account and list your rooms with photos, service charge, support level and eligibility. No fee, no limit on how many.
Agents pick up the work
Enquiries get answered, viewings get booked, onboarding packs get completed and claims go in, without you touching them.
You stay in control
Everything lands in one dashboard. Accept, waitlist or decline in a click, and take over any conversation whenever you want.
Buy back your time
List your rooms free today. Talk to us about the agents whenever you are ready.
Free to list · UC and HB friendly · No monthly fee
Provider questions
The things people ask first
Do the agents replace my support staff?+
No. They take the admin, the chasing and the out of hours cover. Keywork, safeguarding and any judgement call stays with your team, and every agent hands over the moment it should.
Do residents know they are talking to an AI?+
Yes, always. Every agent says so at the start of a call or a message, and a person is one request away. We will not pretend otherwise in a sector that works with vulnerable people.
What does it cost?+
Listing is free and stays free. The agents that bill per use are priced in credits from the same wallet you already use for enquiries, and one credit is £1. You pay when an agent does a piece of work for you.
Can I still list rooms without any of this?+
Yes. The listing side is unchanged and stays free. The agents are there when you want them and not before.
Can I list rooms for free?+
List as many properties as you like, free. There are no listing limits and no monthly fees. You only pay when a referrer or resident unlocks an enquiry, 10 credits, and one credit is £1.
Can I import listings from SpareRoom or Gumtree?+
Yes. Paste the advert link and Signpost fills in what it can. Add your own photos, and read the description through before you publish it.
Can I list supported accommodation?+
Yes. Rooms, shared housing, whole properties and supported accommodation, and you set whether Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or referrals apply.