JOB TITLE: Housing Officer
RESPONSIBLE TO: Head of Housing & Charitable Services
The difference you will make as a Housing Officer
To provide professional and effective general housing management and specific support services to residents over 60 or 55 with a disability living in our independent and supported living schemes and alms house accommodation dispersed around the Birmingham area.
About You
We are looking for someone with:
· Experience of working within housing management
· Previous experience in positively resolving incidents
· Working knowledge of housing law and benefit systems
Key Responsibilities
Compliance: Delivering high quality and effective general housing, neighbourhood management and tailored supported housing services in accordance with all relevant housing and property legislation and regulations.
Income Management: Maximise income to both the resident and therefore the service by providing collaborative engagement and effective support to prevent debt, and by utilising robust income management policies and strategies to recover current and former debts up to eviction level.
Conflict and complaint resolution: Handle disputes and reports of nuisance and anti-social behaviour effectively using all tools and powers available to solve problems firmly but fairly in accordance with policy and regulation. Recognise, acknowledge and handle formal stage 1 complaints in accordance with regulation and policy.
Community engagement & collaboration: Build trusting and supportive relationships within our local communities, organising and promoting resident involvement in social, health and well-being activities, and matters affecting them and their tenancy or appointment, including policy and service development. Work with other local stakeholders, including Local Authority and National Health Services to ensure that residents receive first class assistance and support.
Safeguarding: Work with the highest levels of honesty and integrity always, proactively identifying and appropriately handling safeguarding issues as they arise.
Record keeping and reporting: Prepare and maintain comprehensive and accurate records and reports that are always easily accessible and auditable.
Main duties
1) Provide a comprehensively compliant, yet person-centred housing and neighbourhood management service to adults over 55 with varied housing, health, disability, financial and wellbeing needs, living in supported and independent living schemes, and alms house accommodation.
2) Take an active role in the management of empty (void) properties, including compliantly ending tenancies & appointments and minimising former debts by working with residents and their formal representatives, and any other agencies relevant to the circumstances.
3) Undertake void property health & safety compliance checks to ensure that empty properties remain clean, clear, safe and secure.
4) Handle allocation nominations from Head Office, including conducting viewings and providing key decision-making information to housing applicants before they accept any offer of accommodation.
5) Conduct “sign-ups”, ensuring that policy and best practice is followed so that residents make the best possible start to their tenure, including instilling a “housing costs first” payment culture, supporting with income maximisation, benefit claims, budgeting and ensuring that the key terms of the agreement are clearly explained and understood.
6) Support individuals to sustain their accommodation through developing dynamic, risk-based support plans for every supported resident, fully utilising multi agency and collaborative approaches to problem solving and meeting ongoing support needs, including recognising the need for and supporting transfers to more suitable accommodation.
7) Effective identification and management of tenancy breaches, including nuisance, anti-social behaviour, property condition and hoarding behaviours using all available tools and powers to achieve the best outcomes, including the ability to prepare legal documentation and stand witness in civil court proceedings.
8) Effectively identify formal complaints from requests for service and reports and be able to handle formal complaint investigation to stage 1 outcomes.
9) Effectively operate income management policies, including regular and accurate monitoring of residents’ accounts, early identification and prevention of debt, and robust and effective engagement and legal interventions in accordance with the Pre-Court Action Protocol, including conducting accurate financial assessments and calculations, providing confident advice and support, and leading assertive negotiations. Be able to prepare legal documentation including letters, Notice of Seeking Possession and representation at County Court possession proceedings, up to eviction level.
10) Undertake building and neighbourhood health and safety compliance activities as required by the Head of Housing and Property Services Manager, including but not limited to conducting property and neighbourhood inspections, assessing risk and being responsible for driving mitigating actions to resolution.
11) Liaise with operatives and contractors delivering onsite services, monitoring service levels and quality, raising any concerns appropriately with managers to ensure that residents get the best value for money for their chargeable services.
12) Liaise and co-operate with telecare contractors at all stages of service delivery as required, including advising of outgoing and incoming residents and responding effectively to reports from contractors when residents use their alarms to seek help and assistance.
13) Proactively identify and organise relevant and meaningful activities that support the social, health and wellbeing needs of engaged resident, including engaging residents in consultations and meetings about service delivery, policy changes or developments that affect them.
14) Always be responsible and accountable for the safeguarding of residents, identifying, recording and escalating concerns appropriately.
15) Follow all policy and procedure diligently, maintaining accurate and comprehensive contemporaneous records at all times within the housing management system, and being responsible for one’s own administration.
16) Be wholeheartedly committed to ongoing training and development, including attending training and development sessions, team meetings, appraisals and one to ones.
17) Always be responsible and accountable for the safe systems of work for yourself and others, including the use and operation of lone working systems
18) As part of a small but dynamic and agile team, be flexible in undertaking any other reasonable duties and functions commensurate with the grade of role from time to time, as directed or requested by the Head of Service.
Other Information
· You will be required to work flexible hours to meet customer and business needs, which may not include normal office hours
· You will be required to travel to different properties within the defined area as and when required
· Use the Lone Worker system as and when necessary
· Ensure customers are safe at all times - carrying out all of your duties within BCOP’s Policy and Procedure framework e.g. health & safety, safeguarding, dignity at work, GDPR
· Deliver your role in line with BCOP company values
· Participate in team meetings, attend regular supervisions and appraisals
· Undertake regular training and take responsibility for continuous development to enable you to deliver your role safely
· From time to time you may be required to undertake additional duties and responsibilities in consultation with your Line Manager
Person specification
Essential
- Satisfactory general education at level 2 or above that is relevant to the role
- To have, be working towards, or willing to work towards a relevant professional qualification (Minimum CIH L3)
- A minimum of 12 months experience delivering social housing services is essential, desirably with providing customer support services to vulnerable residents
- Good knowledge and understanding of relevant housing legislation, regulation and good practice is essential, desirably including that specifically for supported housing.
- Good understanding of the state welfare benefit system is essential, desirably in relation to older persons benefits.
- Ability to use all key IT systems and virtual meeting and messaging platforms independently and effectively, including lone working systems
- Full valid UK driving license, with a suitably insured and roadworthy vehicle for use every working day
- Trust & integrity. You are where you say you will be, at the right time, doing what you should be doing with upmost fairness, equity and integrity, even when no one is watching.
- Accountability. You take responsibility and accountability for your decisions and actions in relation to performing your role to the highest possible standards. You make things happen and you act on feedback to improve performance for yourself and the team.
- Empathy, confidence and assertiveness. You can appreciate and accept different points of view, wants and needs, and balance them confidently and assertively with the need to deliver compliant and professional housing activities
- Professional curiosity, collaboration & co-operation. You are curious and look beyond the immediate issue to find underlying causes and learning opportunities, bringing ideas forward to do or make things better and continuously improve systems of work through co-operation and collaboration
Desirable
- Experience of service improvement and development, including consultation and engagement.
- Experience of contractor management
- Experience of legal enforcement processes in a social housing setting, including attendance at Civil County Court hearings
- Ability to speak a second language to English, including sign language and / or interpretation services
Additional Benefits
- 24 days annual leave plus bank holidays pro-rata'd
- Additional five days annual leave after five years’ service
- Eligible for Blue Light Card – allowing access to discounts and offers with a range of shops and leisure outlets.
- Paid for DBS
- Defined Contributions pension scheme.
- BSHF Health insurance
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £29,565.00-£31,317.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Application question(s):
- Do you have, or working towards a relevant professional qualification (Minimum CIH L3)?
Experience:
- Housing: 2 years (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
