Housing Officer

To provide a high-quality Estate and Tenancy Management Service to a diverse range of customers across varying local authority districts, ensuring the varying needs of all customers including those who are vulnerable are met.

To work closely with a range of internal and external key stakeholders and key partners in both assisting customers to sustain their tenancies and to promote responsible tenancy conduct for the benefit of all customers, taking enforcement action only where necessary.

To be innovative and responsive to maintain safe, clean estates and thriving communities.

Housing and Tenancy Management

· Provide a visible and positive housing presence where customers have a dedicated first point of contact

· To ensure that each new tenancy letting and end of tenancy is completed in line with administrative and legal requirements, including tenancy terminations, tenancy agreement sign ups and associated paperwork.

· To make sure that tenants, support providers, social worker and others understand the rights and responsibilities as set down in tenancy agreements and where required provide easy read documents to support this.

· To carry out tenancy reviews and welcome visits, ensuring customer satisfaction and any tenancy concerns are identified at the earliest point. Liaising with appropriate support services, sign posting and engaging directly with tenants to enable them to successfully manage their tenancies.

· To assist tenants with support needs in conjunction with support providers to help to sustain and benefit from their tenancy.

· To provide advice and information to tenants, residents and others on all tenancy matters including welfare benefits

· To gather information required to support the successful completion of Housing Benefit and make claims for these on behalf of our tenants in line with existing service level agreements.

· To take a proactive and leading role in managing tenancy management issues including (but not excluding): anti-social behaviour, property condition, garden enforcement, and safeguarding

· Provide impartiality and consistency in all alleged incidents of anti-social behaviour and be pro-active in initiating the necessary resolutions

· To ensure that the conditions of tenancy are met by the Highstone tenants, enforcing the tenancy conditions with a regard for Highstone's legal and legislative obligations.

· To arrange tenancy review meetings and collate behaviour improvement agreements with tenants and professionals to support tenants to manage their homes appropriately.

· To carry out scheme inspections, check adherence to fire safety in schemes, support 6 monthly fire remedial works, monitoring cleaning, grounds maintenance, repairs and maintenance jobs, liaising with care provider colleagues and others to improve the quality of the environment and ensure tenancy conditions are met.

· To support the Housing Manager and Repairs Manager to achieve void turnaround targets for repair works and to support the pre-void and lettings process by completing pre tenancy inspections for those vacating

· To undertake empty property inspections periodically where a property is void for an extended period.

· To assist the Repairs Manager and others with identifying, reporting and monitoring repairs and maintenance within the designated patch

· To work with the Housing Manager & Accounts Dept to manage rent arrears, service charge payments, and rechargeable repairs taking early and preventative action to set up affordable repayment plans to minimise monies owed to the association.

· To carry out Tenancy & Scheme Audits collecting and maintaining up to date information about tenants and care providers to ensure that Management Information Systems are up to date

· To be a lead in developing tenant involvement initiatives, promote tenant and resident engagement in service delivery and supporting the quarterly newsletter collation.

· To support the Housing Manager to gather information, liaise with tenants to investigate initial complaints effectively in line with Highstones complaints procedure.

· To provide updates to the Housing Manager on a regular basis in relation to scheme issues and key performance indicators.

General

· To comply at all times with Highstone's legal, contractual and regulatory responsibilities in relation to the above duties.

· To assess risk whilst lone working and ensure own safety in line with current procedures.

· To be aware of and comply with Highstones current policies, procedure and guidelines

· To contribute to the development of policy, procedures and best practice.

· To ensure that record keeping, monitoring and administrative systems are kept up to date and accurate in accordance with procedures

· To work closely and supportively with other team members and liaise effectively with other departments to ensure a coordinated and responsive service is provided.

· Committed to providing a healthy and safe working environment and expects all employees to observe and promote H&S related policies in all areas of their work, including attending training as appropriate.

· To promote effective multi agency working by keeping up to date on other relevant statutory and voluntary agencies, cultivating good local contacts, attending regular network meetings and generally promoting the work of Highstone Housing with other agencies

· Maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations and good practice requirements throughout the company.

· To attend relevant meetings

· To carry out other duties, reasonably requested, which may be appropriate to the role.

· Significant experience working in a Housing Officer / Estate Management role or similar.

· Current working knowledge of housing legislation (landlord and tenant) and a demonstrable knowledge of housing and experience of applying for welfare benefits, in particular Housing Benefit

· Knowledge of legal processes in relation to serving notices, anti-social behaviour, and arrears recovery

· Strong regard and commitment to GDPR and confidentiality principles

· An awareness of the support needs of tenants with learning disabilities, mobility issues, mental health diagnosis (list not exhaustive)

· Ability to work under own initiative and proven experience in risk assessment

· Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise

· Flexible and be able to cope with changing situations

· Computer literate, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and housing management systems.

· Competent in the use of laptops and mobile working devices.

· Good quality negotiation and influencing skills

· Excellent written and verbal communication

· Sensitive approach and the ability to engage with vulnerable tenant groups

· Ability to lone work, have access to a vehicle for work and full driving licence

· Have a willingness to learn and develop

Highstone Housing have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Housing Officer / Estate / Neighbourhood officer to join our small team.

You will be required to lone work and location base across Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield, Barnsley, Harrogate and Doncaster authorities providing tenancy and estate management to our 300 tenants.

We specialise in building homes for vulnerable households who have a need for supported accommodation. This isn't your normal Housing Officer Role and we want to attract someone who will embrace our ethos "working together to provide quality homes & services that make a difference in people's lives"

Competitive basic salary £25K-£29k (negotiable dependent on experience) + discretionary bonus

Essential Car Users Allowance + Mileage

Paid Out of Hours repairs rota (additional)

22 days annual leave plus 8 statutory bank holidays + your birthday off

Pension Scheme

Be part of a friendly and dedicated team