Housing Officer – Grade 7*

Service summary; Delivery of a high-quality Housing Service to the Council’s tenants and residents, ensuring the stock is appropriately maintained, and that tenants are supported appropriately through the landlord function. To ensure an effective Housing Needs Service is provided that complies with statute and local policy and meets the needs of vulnerable residents.

Role Purpose; To manage a patch of general needs housing including void(empty) properties, tenancy management, estate management, including neighbour disputes, investigating tenancy fraud, dealing with introductory tenancies, and mutual exchanges, move in and move out processes. To help, support and advise all Council tenants who have housing related queries and/or matters, taking ownership, seeking resolution whilst working closely with the wider housing team and other supporting agencies. Being an advocate of Social Housing and ensuring the right outcomes for both residents and the service for best use of limited housing stock available. The post holder will have excellent customer service skills to will be able to liaise with multiple stakeholders such as tenants, leaseholders, freeholders, Members of Parliament, Councillors, solicitors, external agencies; and across various teams and departments within Wokingham Borough Council. Therefore, you should be a confident communicator in all mediums. Accountabilities;   1 - To provide the first point of contact for tenants with regards to Housing related matters, 2 - Ability to work with tenants and residents when there is a matter which has a serious impact on their lives, being empathetic to situations, whilst also offering key advice that will help them find a solution to their Housing issue. 3 - Work efficiently in partnership with other teams, departments, agencies, and organisations with an understanding of conflicting or complementary agendas and how to best work in unison for best outcome for tenants and residents 4 - Take a lead role in all neighbourhood matters, to complete home visits to tenants/residents concerning Housing Management and estate issues in relation to their tenancy. 5 - An understanding of the Housing sector, policy and legislation, and the ability to apply relevant legislation to presenting situations. 6 - Good understanding of the welfare benefit systems and be able to provide basic debt advice and refer to other agencies where needed. 7 - Good understanding of the Housing application process and the ability to give sound move on advice. 8 - To provide a comprehensive administration service producing letters, action plans, taking witness statements, completing support plan and other documents as required. Ability to accurately record and store this information in the appropriate manner. 9 - Understanding of general residential building safety and reporting any repairs identified as and when required 10 - Awareness of personal safety with the ability to lone work whilst understanding the risks which can present when working within people’s homes. 11 - To support a performance culture that delivers to high levels in a fast-paced environment. 12 - Carry out compliance checks such as water temperature checking, fire alarm testing and accurate recording, where required. 13 - In order to deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and the post-holder may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. Such duties will, however, be appropriate to the competencies and grade of the post.