Section 1: Access

Who can access and use the Online Balance Checks Portal?

  • Current Opendoor Homes secure tenants (primary or joint)

Who cannot access the Online Balance Checks Portal?

  • Household members who are not a primary or joint tenant
  • Current and previous residents living in temporary accommodation
  • Non-secure tenants
  • Previous tenants

What different browsers can the portal be accessed on?

  • The portal can be accessed on all browsers: Google, Microsoft Edge, Bing, Firefox etc.

What types of devices can the portal be accessed on?

  • The portal is accessible on all common devices: laptops, iPhones, androids, tablets, iPads, Apple Mac etc.

Is the Online Balance Checks Portal going to be the only way I can contact Barnet Homes about rent queries?

  • No, if you do not have an email address or access to the internet, are worried about using the internet/ systems you can still contact us as normal by call or email.
  • The portal isn’t replacing phone/ email services. It is an additional option available for tenants who want to use it and are able to access it.

What are the main benefits of using the Online Balance Checks Portal?

  • The ability to access and view current rent balances 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without having to call or email us
  • The ability to access and view previous rent account balances/ transactions history
  • You can see the different charges we take from your rent account and whether you are in arrears or credit in real-time
  • For some common rent related queries, you can self-serve and resolve the issue yourself rather than wait 5-10 working days for a response
  • Access to tools to support you with budgeting
  • If you have multiple tenancies with us e.g. flat and garage, you can manage certain queries in one place
  • The portal is an additional option for you to contact us about rent related queries alongside being able to call or email us

Section 2: Key features

What can I do on the Online Balance Checks Portal?

  • Check your current rent account balances
  • Query your rent account
  • View previous account transactions
  • Request rent statements
  • Request standing order payment details
  • Request refunds
  • Create payment plans
  • Request benefits advice
  • Download direct debit forms and fill in your details
  • Use a free budget planner tool
  • View payment arrangements
  • View tenancy details
  • Request permissions related to tenancy (e.g., permission for a pet)
  • View information on mutual exchanges
  • View information on giving notice to end a tenancy

What features are not currently available on the portal?

  • Reporting repairs
  • Downloading rent statements
  • Reporting neighbourhood issues such as graffiti, ASB or fly tipping
  • Logging complaints or compliments
  • Viewing or modifying sensitive personal information (e.g., ethnic origin, gender, etc.)
  • Accessing details of household members

Section 3: Sign up

How do I sign up/ register for the portal?

  • Visit https://my.thebarnetgroup.org/
  • Click ‘Register a new account’
  • Enter your email address, mobile number, tenancy reference number and date of birth in the relevant boxes
  • Choose a password for your account
  • Click ‘Submit’
  • A verification code will then be sent to your email address (check your junk folder if you do not receive one). Please ensure that you manually type this verification code into the portal page within 10 minutes of receiving it

Where can I find my tenancy reference number?

  • Tenancy reference numbers can be found on tenants rent statements.

Regarding joint tenants can both create a separate account to access the portal if they share an email address?

  • No, only one of the joint tenants would be able to sign up for the portal using the shared email address. The other tenant could still create their own portal account however, they would need to register using a different separate email address and make sure the DOB used is the same as the one we have on our systems (which would be the DOB of one of the joint tenants)

If I move into a different Opendoor Homes home, will I be able to set up a new account on the portal?

  • Yes, you would be able to register for a new account on the portal using all of the same contact information (e.g. mobile number and email address) that you used when registering for your previous account. The only thing that would need to change is the tenancy reference number you input when registering. Once completed you would have access to a new account on the portal which only shows information linking to your new tenancy.

Section 4: Rents

When I view the transaction history for my rent account, how far back into the history will I be able to see?

  • When viewing your transaction history, you will be able to see the full history of your account going back to the start of our records. This means that you will be able to see every transaction which we have on our systems in relation to your account.

When I view my rent account balance on the portal, how up-to-date are the balances being shown?

  • On the portal you will be able to view your account balances in real time. This means that there will be no delay for residents and the figures that are shown will be the live numbers which we have on our systems.

If I notice that any information about my rent account shown on the portal is incorrect, how do I report this?

  • Within the ‘Rents’ section of the portal, there is a button called ‘Query my account”. Should there be any incorrect information on the portal, you can click this button and use the text box to indicate the problem. One submitted this will be sent to the relevant Income Officer to check our records and make any updates on our systems.