Keystage Housing is seeking a dedicated Specialist Housing Officer to support adults with eligible support needs through Intensive Housing Management. This role is instrumental in tenancy management and achieving successful resettlement outcomes for individuals experiencing a range of complexities, including those eligible for housing benefit exemptions. The ideal candidate will combine strong analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills to provide high-quality services across our Luton-based supported living accommodations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Tenancy Management and Housing Support
- Provide tailored, high-quality housing advice and support services to clients, ensuring their individual needs are met while managing expectations.
- Conduct detailed housing needs assessments, document findings, and draft comprehensive reports.
- Assist tenants in completing referrals, applications, and forms to address housing needs effectively.
- Manage and monitor occupancy within temporary and supported accommodations, ensuring alignment with budgets and operational efficiency
2. Compliance and Legal Adherence
- Ensure adherence to all relevant procedures, policies, and legislation related to tenancy agreements and housing services.
- Conduct thorough investigations and provide case summaries to facilitate lawful and appropriate management decisions.
- Support legal processes involving tenant issues, including non-payment of rent or anti-social behaviour.
3. Engagement and Communication
- Actively communicate with tenants, colleagues, and external partners, providing clear and accurate advice and updates.
- Address tenant concerns, including behaviours that challenge, with sensitivity and professionalism.
- Facilitate tenant engagement through community activities, fostering involvement in Keystage Housing’s goals and services.
4. Property Inspections and Maintenance
- Perform regular property inspections, ensuring accommodations meet high standards.
- Collaborate with the property team to address maintenance needs and support stock management effectively.
5. Anti-Social Behaviour and Safeguarding
- Investigate reports of anti-social behaviour, working closely with internal teams and external organisations to resolve issues.
- Maintain robust safeguarding practices, taking the lead in safeguarding matters where necessary.
6. Rent Arrears and Financial Support
- Support tenants in rent arrears by providing guidance, liaising with floating support services, and signposting to appropriate resources.
- Assist in developing policies to reduce arrears and improve financial accountability among tenants.
7. Team Collaboration and Flexibility
- Work collaboratively within a team to ensure consistent service delivery across all accommodations.
- Flexibly adapt to cover various aspects of the service when needed.
Person Specification
Our person's specification sets out the essential and/or desirable experience and abilities needed by a successful candidate for this job role. Please consider these when applying for the role as these requirements will be considered at both the shortlisting and interviewing stages.
Skills & Qualifications
- Demonstrated ability to resolve sensitive tenant issues, including conflict management and unpaid rent.
- Strong understanding of safeguarding practices and relevant legislation.
- Knowledge of government policies on housing rights, benefits, and tenancy issues. Experience working with individuals with learning disabilities, mental health diagnoses, or dual diagnoses.
- Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Competence in budgeting and financial management.
- Proactive and organised with the ability to handle multiple priorities.
- Experience in legal matters related to tenancy management, including anti-social behaviour and non-payment of rent.
Qualifications, Experiences, Knowledge & Abilities.
Essential:
- Hold a full UK driving license with access to a car.
- Experience of Housing and Tenancy Management.
- Experience of working in a customer service led environment.
- Experience within a successful Registered Social Landlord or housing related organisation
- Experience of maximizing rental income and arrears management
- Experience of dealing with nuisance and anti-social behaviour and developing strategies to alleviate the incidences
- Experience achieving KPI targets and providing a consistent quality of service.
- Proven ability to achieve outcomes for vulnerable tenants with complex needs
- Up to date knowledge of housing law, tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities and legal requirements relating to management of tenancies.
- Knowledge of welfare benefits, in particular housing benefit and Universal Credit
- Knowledge of developing and implementing tenancy sustainment strategies
- Be a self-starter with effective organisational skills to organise your own workload.
- Demonstratable ability to apply your knowledge of relevant housing legislation to tenancy management matters
- Able to build effective working relationships with tenants and stakeholders.
- Able to work within defined policies and procedures.
- Enthusiastic approach to working alongside and including tenants in enhancing and improving their service.
- Maintain working relationships with external agencies to achieve sustainable solutions to the tenants you service
- Creative and practical approach to problem solving.
- Excellent IT skills and experience in using housing management systems.
- Up to date knowledge of the current regulatory framework and the context in which Keystage Housing operates
- Experience of managing Anti-Social Behavior cases.
- Excellent communication, listening and interpersonal skills and excellent skills at planning and prioritizing workload
- Take responsibility for self-development and continuous improvement
- Promote and embed equality and diversity as an integral aspect of working.
- Knowledge of complex needs, disability, mental health and care issues within a housing context.
- Demonstrated ability to resolve sensitive tenant issues, including conflict management and unpaid rent.
- Strong understanding of safeguarding practices and relevant legislation.
- Knowledge of government policies on housing rights, benefits, and tenancy issues.
- Experience working with individuals with learning disabilities, mental health diagnoses, or dual diagnoses.
- Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Competence in budgeting and financial management.
- Proactive and organised with the ability to handle multiple priorities.
- Experience in legal matters related to tenancy management, including anti-social behaviour and non-payment of rent.
Desirable:
- Educated to degree level in a relevant discipline or a related professional qualification in housing (CIH Level 3 or above)
- Flexibility and a willingness to respond to the changing needs of Keystage Housing
- Flexibility in working arrangements (willing to work outside normal working hours when required)
This role offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable individuals, supporting them in achieving stability and positive outcomes in their housing journeys. If you are motivated to deliver practical, person-centred solutions, we encourage you to apply.
Application Process:
Interested candidates should submit CV via Indeed, once this has been screen, if successful an application form will be sent out.
There is no option to offer sponsorship or transfer of sponsorship.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £26,436.80 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Flexitime
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
Work Location: In person
