Building CORA-based integrations for housing associations
A housing association runs an ERP, a maintenance system, a tenant portal, a customer contact system and often more. Integrations built in isolation from one another make that landscape hard to understand and expensive to change. Appfront builds integrations that we design around CORA, the reference architecture of the housing association sector, so that every integration fits how your processes run and does not simply tie two systems together.
What are CORA integrations for housing associations?
CORA is the reference architecture for housing associations. It gives a coherent picture of how people, processes and technology work together in a housing association, and is developed and maintained by CorpoNet. CORA is descriptive and not mandatory: an association uses it as a reference to compare its own organisation against. VERA is the accompanying data standard, covering the exchange of the data itself.
A CORA integration is therefore not an integration with a system called CORA. It is an integration that we design from the process CORA describes, such as lettings, maintenance or customer contact. We first look at which process is running, which applications take part and which data has to pass from one to another, and only then build the integration. The result is a landscape that you can explain and change.
We build custom because no two housing associations have the same landscape. Which ERP you use, which specialist applications run alongside it, what you do yourself and what sits with a contractor or a partnership determines which integrations you need. Where a supplier has a standard integration that does what you need, we use it, and we will tell you so.
Process by process
Not per pair of systems.
With VERA
Messages that follow the standard.
Explainable
A landscape that hangs together.
How we build your CORA integrations for housing associations
We start with the processes you want to improve and the landscape that goes with them: which applications, which integrations already exist, and where data is transferred by hand. We lay that alongside CORA, so it becomes clear where the pain points are. Then we build a first integration for the process with the biggest gain, often lettings or repair requests. You work with it for a while. Further processes follow if that goes well. After that, we maintain the integrations as your landscape changes.
Processes alongside CORA.
The first integration.
One step at a time.
Go-live, monitoring, and maintenance when things change.
What CORA integrations for housing associations actually do
The components below appear in almost every integration for a housing association. Which ones you need depends on your processes and your landscape.
Process model
Integrations per CORA process.
VERA messages
Where the standard provides for it.
Events
A change goes through.
Translation
Between your own fields and VERA.
Notifications
When a message fails.
Log
Every exchange logged.
Who we build CORA integrations for housing associations for
The integrations are intended for housing associations that want more than isolated links between systems, and for suppliers that want to connect to the housing association landscape.
Housing associations
Large and small.
Architects
Information management.
Collaborations
Shared service centres.
Suppliers
Connecting to the landscape.
Technology and integrations
This page is about integrations that we design around CORA. For the messages themselves, see our page on the VERA integration, for software for housing associations our page on housing association software, and for AI in the sector our page on AI for housing associations. You can read about our way of working on building software.
Why Appfront for your CORA integrations for housing associations?
Integrations built per pair of systems make a housing association dependent on whoever built them and on whatever is hidden inside each integration. We build on something different: integrations per process, following a reference the sector shares, with messages based on VERA where possible.
Less dependency
A landscape you understand.
Easier switching
One system out, the process stays.
A shared language
With suppliers and colleagues.
Security and privacy for CORA integrations for housing associations
Integrations at a housing association process tenant data, sometimes including income and payment data. We only use what the process needs, access is set up per integration and per role, keys are stored encrypted, and every message is logged.
The part we build runs in a European data centre or in your own environment, with encrypted storage and daily backups. We record the processing in a data processing agreement and align with your housing association's security policy.
Frequently asked questions about CORA integrations for housing associations
Questions housing associations ask before they start.
CORA is the reference architecture for housing associations. It describes how people, processes and technology work together within an association. CORA is developed and maintained by CorpoNet, is descriptive rather than mandatory, and is used as a reference to compare your own organisation against.
CORA describes the processes and how they fit together, while VERA covers the data and messages that systems use to exchange information. Since 1 April 2023, VERA has been maintained by Aedes Datastandaarden. We use CORA to determine which integration is needed and VERA for the messages themselves, where the systems support it.
No. CORA is not software but a reference. A CORA integration is one we design starting from a process that CORA describes, so that it fits into the bigger picture rather than just connecting two systems.
That differs per supplier and per process. Where a system supports VERA messages, we use them. Where it does not, we translate the system's own fields into VERA concepts, so the integration can easily switch over later. We look at what is possible where in the first step.
No. We map what is needed for the process you start with, and extend that with each subsequent process. That way the first integration already delivers value, and the overview of your landscape grows with it.
The integration reports the problem and records what went wrong. The message is retried or queued for review, so no repair request, tenancy agreement or payment is lost or processed twice.
For housing associations with multiple systems where data is transferred by hand or that have become dependent on integrations nobody understands any more, and for suppliers who want to connect to the housing association landscape. If you work with a single package that does everything and you are not missing anything, you do not need a custom integration.
Integrations that fit your processes?
Tell us which systems your housing association uses and where data is currently transferred by hand. We will show you how CORA-based integrations can solve that.