Dorset Council’s housing service can now communicate via text.

The council are now able to send text (SMS) messages to residents who receive services from the housing team, letting residents know there is an update which needs attention and to log into the council portal to view it.

Residents could be being informed of a suitable property that has become available, a query has been answered, an application has been updated, or requirement to complete a task such as uploading proof of ID.

Councillor Graham Carr-Jones, portfolio holder for Housing and Community Safety, said: “This will be a really good way to keep up to date with your account and act quickly when there is a message.

“Just remember the message will only direct you to your account on the housing portal where all the information and any actions which need attention will be.”

Residents will not be able to have a conversation with officers with via text, the service will only advise users when to log onto their council account to check their dashboard - The dashboard will then have the action required or give additional information.

The additional way to contact residents hopes to mitigate issues when emails and voice messages get missed.

​All new customers to the housing service will be asked for permission to contact them via text message and existing customers will need to update their preference in their account to receive messages this way.

The council have stated that they will not ask for any personal information and particularly bank details via text message and strongly advises people to take care not to share personal information or bank details from unsolicited messages via text message.

The messages received will come from Dorset Homechoice and will include the resident’s name.

For more information visit www.dorsetcouncilhomechoice.org.uk.

There is more information about how to avoid being scammed, from Dorset Police at www.service.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/fa/fraud/personal-fraud.