Key Responsibilities:
Tenancy Management:
- Managing a portfolio of properties, ensuring that tenants are adhering to the terms of their tenancy agreements.
- Conducting regular inspections of properties and estates to identify issues such as anti-social behaviour, maintenance needs, or tenancy breaches.
Rent Collection and Arrears Management:
- Monitoring rent accounts, ensuring timely collection of rent, and addressing arrears.
- Liaising with tenants to resolve rent-related issues, and signposting them to financial support or debt advice services if necessary.
Supporting Tenants:
- Acting as the first point of contact for tenants, dealing with enquiries, complaints, and issues around repairs, maintenance, and neighbour disputes.
- Assisting tenants in sustaining their tenancies, which may include referrals to support services such as welfare benefits advice, health services, or employment and training opportunities.
Neighbourhood Management:
- Working in partnership with other departments (e.g., maintenance, housing allocations, legal) to maintain and improve neighbourhoods.
- Identifying issues within estates that may require improvement, from communal repairs to safety and security concerns.
Legal Actions and Enforcement:
- Taking appropriate action when tenancy breaches occur, which could include serving notices, applying for injunctions, or pursuing evictions, where necessary.
- Preparing reports and evidence for court hearings and attending as required.
Health and Safety:
- Ensuring properties and communal areas comply with health and safety standards.
- Carrying out risk assessments, particularly concerning fire safety, and ensuring all actions are followed up.
Skills & Qualifications:
Communication Skills: Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse range of tenants, staff, and external partners.
Problem-Solving Abilities: Strong analytical skills to assess issues and determine appropriate solutions, including managing sensitive situations like anti-social behaviour or rent arrears.
Knowledge of Housing Legislation: Familiarity with relevant housing laws, policies, and procedures, particularly related to tenancy agreements, rent arrears management, and anti-social behaviour.
IT and Record-Keeping Skills: Proficiency in using housing management systems to maintain accurate records of tenancies, rent arrears, complaints, and actions taken.
Organisational Skills: The ability to manage multiple caseloads and meet deadlines, particularly on a temporary basis where the workload might be more demanding.
Experience: Previous experience in housing management, ideally within a local authority or similar public sector organisation.
Temporary Nature of the Role:
- Adaptability: Since this is a short-term role, candidates must be able to hit the ground running, quickly familiarise themselves with local authority policies, and adapt to the team's working style.
- Project-based Work: The temporary officer may be brought in to deal with a specific issue (e.g., backlog of arrears cases or a major neighbourhood regeneration project) and must be focused on achieving measurable outcomes within the timeframe.
- Flexibility: Being available to take on varied responsibilities as needed over the 3-6 month period, including potentially extending the role if required.
Expectations:
- Independence: The ability to manage a caseload with minimal supervision, but also work effectively within a team.
- Public Service Approach: Commitment to delivering a high standard of service to tenants and maintaining the reputation of the local authority.
- Clear Reporting: Regular reporting on key performance indicators, including rent collection, resolution of tenancy issues, and enforcement actions.
g2 Recruitment are committed to equality of opportunity for all applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships or any other characteristic protected by law.
