ReFrame Assist

ReFrame Assist is a cloud-hosted software suite for public housing agencies administering federal, state, and local programs. It combines housing applications and eligibility workflows with recertification, rent calculations, compliance reporting, and support for Moving to Work, MTW 50058, MTW Expansion 50058, and 50059 programs. Applicants can update information, check application progress, upload documents, and use secure portal messaging. Tenants can submit documents, review payment history, and recertify through their portal; landlords can view payment and inspection details for tenants and properties. Back-office tools include role-based permissions, electronic records, configurable calculations, statutory reporting, and automatically prepared 58-based correspondence. The suite also includes a General Ledger with accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets, payroll integration, and budgets. Tablet-based inspections work on Android and iOS, online or offline. ReFrame Assist is described as mobile responsive, ADA compliant, and supportive of language preferences. It is available on Android, iOS, and web; pricing is provided on request.

ReFrame Assist brings agency operations and public-facing portals together, with support for multiple housing programs. Agencies will need to request pricing and assess whether its listed workflows fit their requirements.

It suits public housing agencies, including Moving to Work agencies, that need application, resident-portal, accounting, and inspection tools in one suite.

ReFrame Assist is a cloud-based housing-authority suite for agencies that need applicant, tenant, and owner services connected to internal administration. It suits public housing agencies running federal, state, or local programs, particularly Moving to Work agencies. Its broad coverage is a reason to consider it, while custom pricing means agencies must confirm both cost and workflow fit before choosing it.

Overview

ReFrame Assist brings application processing, eligibility determination, recertification, compliance reporting, accounting, and inspections into one system. The suite combines a secure SaaS Back Office with public-facing Applicant, Tenant, and Owner Portals, a General Ledger, and mobile inspections.

Program coverage includes Moving to Work, MTW 50058, MTW Expansion 50058, and 50059. That makes the product more relevant to agencies with complex federal reporting obligations than to organizations seeking only a basic wait-list or resident portal. Its configurable workflows, mobile-responsive design, ADA compliance, and language-preference support are useful where agencies serve varied resident populations and need processes adapted to local practice.

Key features

Portals for applicants, tenants, and owners

The Applicant Portal lets applicants update information, track application progress, upload documents, and exchange secure messages. The Tenant Portal supports document uploads, payment-history viewing, and online recertification. Owners can use their portal to see payment and inspection information for tenants and properties. Separate experiences for each audience can reduce the need for staff to handle routine status and document requests, although agencies should ensure the configured workflows match their service model.

Back-office administration

Back Office Operations includes role-based permissions, electronic records management, configurable calculations, statutory compliance reporting, and automatically generated 58-based correspondence. These functions address the administrative work behind eligibility, rent calculations, recertification, and reporting. The emphasis on configurable calculations and compliance output is particularly valuable for agencies with program-specific rules, while agencies with simple operations may not need the full administrative breadth.

Accounting and inspections

The General Ledger integrates accounts payable, accounts receivable, fixed assets, payroll integration, and budgets. Bringing these accounting functions into the same suite as housing administration can limit handoffs between operational and finance teams, but agencies should evaluate whether the accounting scope covers their own controls and processes.

Mobile Inspections run on Android and iOS tablets and support online or offline processing. Offline capability matters for properties with unreliable connectivity, allowing inspection work to continue and synchronize later. The inspection tool is a practical fit for field teams that need tablet-based workflows rather than office-only entry.

MTW support and consulting

ReFrame Assist supports MTW 50058, MTW Expansion 50058, and 50059 reporting, along with statutory compliance reporting and annual or cohort-specific evaluation reports. The maker also offers MTW consulting from in-house subject-matter experts with more than 75 years of combined HUD and public-housing experience. Agencies should treat that expertise as a potential implementation and program-support advantage, not as a substitute for confirming their exact reporting requirements.

Pricing

ReFrame Assist uses custom pricing. No public plan prices, seat allowances, quotas, free tier, or trial term are provided. Agencies must request a demo or schedule a consultation to discuss cost and configuration.

Custom pricing is appropriate for agencies whose program mix, portal requirements, accounting scope, and inspection deployment vary substantially. It also makes direct comparison harder than with products that publish subscriptions. Before committing, an agency should obtain a written scope covering users, modules, implementation, support, and renewal terms.

Platforms

ReFrame Assist is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Web access supports the cloud-hosted portals and back-office work, while Android and iOS support mobile inspection use on tablets. Mobile responsiveness, ADA compliance, and language-preference support strengthen its fit for agencies serving residents and staff across devices.

Who it's for

The strongest fit is a public housing agency administering multiple federal, state, or local programs and seeking one connected environment for applications, eligibility, resident services, compliance, finance, and inspections. Moving to Work agencies are a particularly clear audience because of the MTW-specific program and reporting support.

It is less compelling for an organization that needs only applicant intake, wait-list management, or a resident portal, or for an agency unwilling to undertake a custom-scoping and pricing process.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Applicant, Tenant, and Owner Portals cover the main external audiences in a housing authority workflow.
• Pro: MTW 50058, MTW Expansion 50058, 50059, and statutory reporting support address demanding program obligations.
• Pro: Integrated general-ledger functions connect accounts payable, receivable, fixed assets, payroll integration, and budgets with housing operations.
• Pro: Offline-capable Android and iOS inspections support field work where connectivity is inconsistent.
• Con: Custom pricing provides no public way to compare cost, plan limits, or renewal terms before contacting the maker.
• Con: The suite's broad scope may be unnecessary for agencies seeking a narrowly focused portal or wait-list product.

Alternatives

Browse Affordable Housing Software for a wider category comparison.

Rentari.ai is the better starting point for a small operation that prioritizes a free plan: its Free plan costs nothing, is billed forever, and includes unlimited properties and units, one active lease, and unlimited maintenance requests. It does not provide ReFrame Assist's stated public-housing program coverage.

Entrata suits agencies or property operators seeking a broader property-management platform across Android, iOS, web, and API access, with sales contact required for pricing.

Inhabit Affordable Housing Software is another paid affordable-housing option on Android, iOS, web, and API platforms.

Kanso Public Housing is worth considering when applicant and wait-list management, inspections and work orders, tenant accounting, reporting, and rent calculations are the priority; its Pro plan uses contact pricing.

PHA-Web is an alternative with a single-price-point subscription approach, although optional components may require separate subscriptions.

PHAnetwork uses monthly pricing based on PHA size and does not require up-front costs, which may suit agencies that prefer size-based subscription terms.

Haven Connect focuses on wait-list management, document collection, automated wait-list updates, custom applications, and applicant portals.

RealPage OneSite is a paid property-management alternative with Android, iOS, web, and API platforms.

Verdict

Choose ReFrame Assist if your public housing agency needs MTW-aware administration tied to resident and owner portals, accounting, compliance reporting, and mobile inspections. Its main reason to choose it is the breadth of one connected suite across programs and operational teams. Look elsewhere if you need a publicly priced plan, a free entry tier, or only a focused wait-list or portal tool rather than a full housing-authority system.