Tenancy Management & Resettlement Officer (SO2)

Job Description

Job Category : Housing
Location :Laurence House – Fifth Floor, Lewisham Council
Hours Per Week : 35.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £22.78

Key duties that officers will be carrying out:

– Identify abandoned accommodation.
– Suitability assessments
-Identify partial/ under occupation.
– Ensure suitability and changes in circumstances are recorded.
– Ensure accommodation meets property standards
– Work with the repairs team and providers to improve the conditions of Temporary Accommodation

Main Purpose of the job:
Provide excellent tenancy sustainment support ensuring tenancies in the private rented sector are
sustained to provide safe and secure housing for our customers whilst meeting local and
corporate objectives.
To provide a high quality advice, lettings and tenancy sustainment service that maximises the
number of homeless households who are able to move successfully into good quality, affordable
private rented accommodation for clients from various services such as HOC, CYP and NRTPF.
To promote the use of the private rented sector as a viable alternative to social rented housing, in
order to encourage independence, prevent homelessness, provide settled housing solutions and
reduce the Council’s use of temporary accommodation.
To effectively report, as required, on performance, against local and corporate targets.

Summary of Responsibilities and Personal Duties:
1. Work effectively within the private sector to increase the supply of good quality
accommodation for households in housing need to meet individual and team targets.
2. To carry out inspections of properties in order to assess their suitability for households in
housing need.
3. Assess prospective customer’s suitability for private rented accommodation by reviewing
their housing history, making enquiries into their financial situation, and establishing
whether or not they are able to meet the rent and comply with the tenancy conditions.
4. Undertake accompanied viewings with prospective customers and provide them with expert
advice and guidance on all aspects of letting (including housing benefit and the conditions
of tenancy) in order to help them make informed decisions.
5. Ensure all private rented sector accommodation procured is of the size, type and location
required by prospective customer, complies with all health and safety & planning
regulations and is in compliance with the Council’s location priority policy.
6. To act as the first point of contact for landlords and tenants who are experiencing
difficulties in sustaining tenancies, including acting as a negotiator and or mediator
between disputing parties to resolve contractual issues to ensure compliance with the legal
framework to sustain tenancies.
7. Provide a comprehensive tenancy sign up and sustainment service to ensure assured
short hold tenancies (prevention, discharge) and non-secure tenancies (temporary
accommodation) are successfully signed up and sustained.
8. Ensure customers are settled into their private rented sector accommodation and fully
made aware local services such as doctor’s surgeries, schools, police station, CAB office,
dentist surgeries etc.
9. To understand, and keep up to date with local and national policies affected by legislation
with regard to welfare reforms and housing.
10. Ensure all properties are maintained to a high standard investigate persistent disrepair
complaints and/or to take property inventories for those properties accessing the Council’s
incentive and or bond scheme.
11. Be responsible for ensuring all landlords and tenants comply with their respective
contractual agreements

Knowledge
Excellent current knowledge of private rented sector housing market and contracts,
particularly the issues affecting private rented sector customers and landlords.
Knowledge of how to deliver a first class customers focused service.
A good knowledge and understanding of the government’s welfare reform and its
implications on the private rented sector.
A good understanding and awareness of housing issues and homelessness issues.
Knowledge of private sector housing law, health and safety rating system and other health
and safety regulations (gas , electrics and energy efficiency) and legislation relating to the
letting of private sector tenancies.
Knowledge of the services provided by the Council for households who are in housing
need.
General knowledge of good property standards and common building problems.
An awareness of the financial implications of decisions and an understanding of the
importance of prioritising value for money.
Aptitude
Excellent oral and written communication skills, with an ability to explain complex information clearly to a
range of audiences.
Excellent negotiating, influencing and liaison skills to successfully promote the Council to private sector
landlords and agents and market housing options to customers, staff and stakeholders.
Ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships with a wide range of people and organisations.
Competitive, being performance driven and able to meet targets.
Ability to be proactive and response and go the “extra mile”.
Ability to identify business risks at an early stage within the procurement process, alerting appropriate
managers and developing possible solutions.
Skills
(Skills can only be used as shortlisting criteria if the skill is to be tested)
Ability to work as part of a team and take initiative with own cases.
Ability to promote and develop effective joint working practices across services.
Ability to work with private sector partners and respond to the needs of that market as well as
understanding how that fits with the requirement to meet housing need.
Commitment to the promotion of a homeless prevention approach.
Flexible, problem-solving approach to service delivery with a positive attitude to change and ability to
identify opportunities and develop innovative housing solutions.
Ability to maintain databases and work effectively with IT systems.
Ability to meet performance targets and deliver positive outcomes.
Experience
Experience of effectively working with landlords, letting agents and other accommodation
suppliers.
Experience of working with people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, in housing
need and/or living in unsatisfactory housing.
Experience of providing an excellent level of customer care and customer service in a
comparable customer service environment.
Experience of working effectively with private sector landlords and/or within a
homelessness context.
Experience of prioritising competing demands in a pressurised environment, recognize
service priorities and manage a caseload within agreed targets.
Experience of successfully developing initiatives and schemes to provide housing
opportunities for people in housing need.
Experience of managing own caseload.
Experience of achieving performance targets and meeting departmental objectives.
General Education
A good standard of education, including excellent levels of numeracy and literacy.
Personal Qualities
Personable and presentable
Organised and target driven
Able to set and maintain the highest standards in professional relationships and behaviour
with customers, colleagues and other external contacts.
Commitment to high levels of attendance and punctuality.
Flexible and proactive, with a commercially-minded approach to developing services and
sustaining relationships with landlords.
Willingness to undertake home visits which are effective and take into account health and
safety requireme