About CHICS
Three decades of UK housing software, built by people who actually know housing.
Co-operative Housing Integrated Computer Systems Ltd (CHICS) provides housing co-ops, associations, TMOs, EMBs and hostels with software for managing rent, repairs, stock, accounts, allocations and tenant data — backed by training and UK-based support.
Our story
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Early 1980s
Colin Boyd starts developing rent-management software (Braso) for housing co-ops on a SuperBrain computer.
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Early 1990s
Gill Pettitt joins. Together they build the first Maintenance module — the foundation of CHICS 9.
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1993 – 1995
CHICS is formed and incorporated as Co-operative Housing Integrated Computer Systems Ltd.
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2010s
Mark Prichard joins, and the team ships CHICS 10 — used by housing organisations across the UK.
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2023
Colin retires after 40+ years in housing software. Mark Prichard takes the helm.
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Today
We're shipping CHICS 11 — a complete, modern, cloud-native rebuild for the next generation of housing organisations.
What we believe
- Housing first, software second
- We start with the housing problem and design the software around it — not the other way round.
- No-jargon support
- Real engineers and housing specialists answering the phone — not a chatbot.
- Open & honest
- Honest comparisons, honest pricing, honest about what we do and don't do.
- Built for the long haul
- Most of our customers have been with us for over a decade. We invest accordingly.
Trusted by UK housing organisations managing thousands of tenancies
Ready to see CHICS in action?
Book a 30-minute walkthrough with our team. We'll show you exactly how CHICS would work for your portfolio — no slide deck, no jargon.