Senior Housing Officer
| Posting date: | 03 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £33,915 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 03 May 2024 |
| Location: | Reading, Berkshire |
| Company: | EHSL |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | SHO101 |
Summary
Hours: Monday to Friday – 37.5 Hours – Fridays are work from home days.
Salary: £33,915 per annum
Annual Leave: 25 Days per annum, plus your Birthday off and all Bank holidays.
EHSL recognises long service and commitment by giving an additional 2 days holiday a year when staff have been with the company for 3 years.
EHSL is an accredited Living Wage employer.
About EHSL:
EHSL is a non-profit provider of supported housing to people with various support needs, including learning disabilities, mental health issues, autism, and other health and social care related needs. Services are located predominantly in London and surrounding counties, although the organisation also has services in the East and West Midlands, the East of England, Gloucestershire/Bristol & Wales. We currently have around 650 tenants in 130 buildings.
We are seeking a professional individual with extensive experience in Housing Management to take on the role of supervising & coordinating a team of Housing Officers. In this position, you will oversee the provision of 'end to end' Housing management services, from the initial viewing of a property by a prospective tenant to the tenant giving notice & arranging the void. Your responsibilities will include ensuring the delivery of a high-quality service to our tenants & partners, as well as leading on complex Anti-social behaviour cases & tenancy sustainment.
You will also be responsible for managing the team's performance & professional standards. Some team members may require support & guidance, while others may need assistance with time management. As a Senior Housing Officer, you must be comfortable having difficult conversations with both your team & customers, while also being able to motivate & lead by example. Your accountability will extend to overseeing your team's performance & ensuring coverage during absences.
Specific responsibilities:
- Ensuring that EHSL performs its housing management obligations effectively & in compliance with all relevant legislation, policies & procedures.
- Supervise & support to a team of frontline housing officers to deliver an effective, visible front-line service that enhances the reputation of EHSL.
- Prevent service delivery failure to our residents by dealing swiftly & effectively with performance management issues within the team.
- Proactively manage new or problem schemes/properties within the housing officer patch system, as per housing officer responsibilities until they can hand over to a Housing Officer
- Make regular visits & travel to sites across a variety of locations throughout England and Wales, sometimes at short notice
Duties will include:
- Manage provision of tenancy sustainment services, which comprise short term intervention aimed at helping individual tenants to resolve whatever issues are threatening their tenancy, such as rent arrears, hoarding, antisocial behaviour and un-met support needs
- Ensure ASB cases and possession claims are carried out within company policies and procedures. Whilst working with care providers to ensure ASB and tenancy breaches are reported, recorded, and remedied at the earliest stage.
- Manage housing officers to ensure all tenancy enforcement actions are undertaken and all of notices, possession claims and court packs are correctly completed with sufficient evidence gathered for tenancy breaches and court hearings prior to requesting a review by the HSM
- Present and/or support Housing Officers at County Court possession hearings.
- Ensure Safeguarding concerns within the team are managed and escalated appropriately and in a timely manner
- Monitor and support the Referrals and Allocations officer/team on the voids and letting process ensuring the sign-up (checking in) and pre-void checks process (checking out) are carried out within timescale and managing shortcomings or complaints
- Take the lead to ensure Notices and Deeds of surrenders are processed appropriately and in a timely way and to ensure this is communicated to other teams within the company
- Lead on Internal transfers and sign off – ensuring the details are passed to the referrals and allocations officer for processing
- Liaise with EHSL’ Property Team to ensure void units are made ready to re-let as soon as practicable
- Oversee and lead on the recording of information in evidencing our intensive housing management services and acting when we are not meeting our obligations
- Lead on all Housing Benefits matters, ensuring that HB claims are submitted in full by Housing Officers within relevant timeframes
- Ensure EHSL is proactive and effective at arrears management. leading the team to help achieving our target Rent Collection Rates of 99%
- Lead on non-payment of rent by self-funded client
- Work with the finance and property teams on Non-payment of tenant recharges
- Ensure Housing Officers are identifying Property improvements and working with the property services team to make the appropriate changes.
- Manage escalated or complex customer issues
- Liaise with EHSL’s care operator partners with regard to queries and issues relating to the accommodation provided by EHSL
- Attend multi-agency meetings, seminars and other events to promote good working relationships with all stakeholders
- Lead the voids and letting process ensuring the sign-up (checking in) and pre-void checks process (checking out) are carried out within timescale and managing shortcomings or complaints
- Ensure Housing officers undertake property visits, inspections and routine checks as required and as per agreed timescales and schedule, ensuring that they recording actions and outcomes accordingly
- Review polices, procedures and processes to ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Produce monthly reports
- Undertake any other duties as may be required in order to meet the changing needs of the organisation
Salary: £33,915 per annum
Annual Leave: 25 Days per annum, plus your Birthday off and all Bank holidays.
EHSL recognises long service and commitment by giving an additional 2 days holiday a year when staff have been with the company for 3 years.
EHSL is an accredited Living Wage employer.
About EHSL:
EHSL is a non-profit provider of supported housing to people with various support needs, including learning disabilities, mental health issues, autism, and other health and social care related needs. Services are located predominantly in London and surrounding counties, although the organisation also has services in the East and West Midlands, the East of England, Gloucestershire/Bristol & Wales. We currently have around 650 tenants in 130 buildings.
We are seeking a professional individual with extensive experience in Housing Management to take on the role of supervising & coordinating a team of Housing Officers. In this position, you will oversee the provision of 'end to end' Housing management services, from the initial viewing of a property by a prospective tenant to the tenant giving notice & arranging the void. Your responsibilities will include ensuring the delivery of a high-quality service to our tenants & partners, as well as leading on complex Anti-social behaviour cases & tenancy sustainment.
You will also be responsible for managing the team's performance & professional standards. Some team members may require support & guidance, while others may need assistance with time management. As a Senior Housing Officer, you must be comfortable having difficult conversations with both your team & customers, while also being able to motivate & lead by example. Your accountability will extend to overseeing your team's performance & ensuring coverage during absences.
Specific responsibilities:
- Ensuring that EHSL performs its housing management obligations effectively & in compliance with all relevant legislation, policies & procedures.
- Supervise & support to a team of frontline housing officers to deliver an effective, visible front-line service that enhances the reputation of EHSL.
- Prevent service delivery failure to our residents by dealing swiftly & effectively with performance management issues within the team.
- Proactively manage new or problem schemes/properties within the housing officer patch system, as per housing officer responsibilities until they can hand over to a Housing Officer
- Make regular visits & travel to sites across a variety of locations throughout England and Wales, sometimes at short notice
Duties will include:
- Manage provision of tenancy sustainment services, which comprise short term intervention aimed at helping individual tenants to resolve whatever issues are threatening their tenancy, such as rent arrears, hoarding, antisocial behaviour and un-met support needs
- Ensure ASB cases and possession claims are carried out within company policies and procedures. Whilst working with care providers to ensure ASB and tenancy breaches are reported, recorded, and remedied at the earliest stage.
- Manage housing officers to ensure all tenancy enforcement actions are undertaken and all of notices, possession claims and court packs are correctly completed with sufficient evidence gathered for tenancy breaches and court hearings prior to requesting a review by the HSM
- Present and/or support Housing Officers at County Court possession hearings.
- Ensure Safeguarding concerns within the team are managed and escalated appropriately and in a timely manner
- Monitor and support the Referrals and Allocations officer/team on the voids and letting process ensuring the sign-up (checking in) and pre-void checks process (checking out) are carried out within timescale and managing shortcomings or complaints
- Take the lead to ensure Notices and Deeds of surrenders are processed appropriately and in a timely way and to ensure this is communicated to other teams within the company
- Lead on Internal transfers and sign off – ensuring the details are passed to the referrals and allocations officer for processing
- Liaise with EHSL’ Property Team to ensure void units are made ready to re-let as soon as practicable
- Oversee and lead on the recording of information in evidencing our intensive housing management services and acting when we are not meeting our obligations
- Lead on all Housing Benefits matters, ensuring that HB claims are submitted in full by Housing Officers within relevant timeframes
- Ensure EHSL is proactive and effective at arrears management. leading the team to help achieving our target Rent Collection Rates of 99%
- Lead on non-payment of rent by self-funded client
- Work with the finance and property teams on Non-payment of tenant recharges
- Ensure Housing Officers are identifying Property improvements and working with the property services team to make the appropriate changes.
- Manage escalated or complex customer issues
- Liaise with EHSL’s care operator partners with regard to queries and issues relating to the accommodation provided by EHSL
- Attend multi-agency meetings, seminars and other events to promote good working relationships with all stakeholders
- Lead the voids and letting process ensuring the sign-up (checking in) and pre-void checks process (checking out) are carried out within timescale and managing shortcomings or complaints
- Ensure Housing officers undertake property visits, inspections and routine checks as required and as per agreed timescales and schedule, ensuring that they recording actions and outcomes accordingly
- Review polices, procedures and processes to ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Produce monthly reports
- Undertake any other duties as may be required in order to meet the changing needs of the organisation