Housing Register Officer - Housing in Ilford

Overall Role Purpose:

• Complete assessments of applications to join the housing register including re-registration to keep their applications up to date.
• Assess households who do not qualify to register and provide advice to them about alternative housing options.
• Assess households who do qualify to register and activate their applications.
• Determine for each application:

• Their effective date (waiting time).
• Level of preference.
• Any special factors affecting their application.

Role Context:

This position is fundamental to the provision of allocations processes across the range of areas affecting vulnerable customers on the housing register, in temporary accommodation and who are being assisted into the private rented sector to prevent homelessness or discharge the housing duty. This role requires good knowledge of the law relating to part VI of the Housing Act 1996.

The post holder will be required to have good knowledge of the law affecting housing allocations and be familiar with other housing advice and homelessness legislation, other general housing legislation, welfare benefit expertise and knowledge of the adult & children social care environment and impact to support customers and achieve positive outcomes.

The post holder will be required to have knowledge of the Housing Act 1996, the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, the Children Act, and the Care Act, combined with specialist knowledge of the Welfare Reform Act.

The post holder will be required to use knowledge of the Housing Allocations Policy, Code of Guidance and Part VI of the 1996 Housing Act to work collaboratively with customers to identify the most appropriate and effective solutions to their housing problems and to do so proactively at the most appropriate time ensuring the maximum opportunities for early intervention.

The post holder will be required to be innovative, dynamic and solutions focused and consider and pursue all available housing options to prevent customers from becoming homeless.

The post holder will be required to use their experience to contribute to the ongoing development and design of the service and solutions for customers.

Operations and Support:

• Co-ordinate the advertising of void properties in council or Registered provider (RP) stock with Choice Homes UK (CHUK).
• Allocate permanent homes through a combination of preparing and analysing shortlists from choice based lettings bidders and direct matching in line with designated groups identified by the Housing Allocations Scheme.
• Check assessments remain up to date and verify circumstances robustly when households are selected for properties, including making checks regarding applicants' finances, eligibility, local connection and suitability to be a tenant.
• Interview applicants and complete home visits as part of the verification process, as well as doing desktop checks.
• Select appropriate applicants and nominate them for available homes.
• Complete direct matching processes for a range of vulnerable applicants on the housing register with specific requirements:

• Medical needs match medical requirements from the medical assessment to available supply in order to match.
• Adaptable homes identify suitable medical applicants for pre-allocation in conjunction with the Occupational Therapy team, having regard to their assessments.
• Match applicants who are hospital discharges liaising with hospitals and other agencies.
• Match under occupiers to free up sought after larger homes.
• Match management transfers to ensure they move swiftly in accordance with priority and management of risk.

Systems and Process Development and Improvement:

• Utilise the housing register allocations system to create records and provide key monitoring information and to support the process of allocating and letting homes.
• Update the homelessness system to feed into personal housing plan for each customer.
• Maintain customers' electronic files on info@work providing a thorough audit trail of activity and key documents in line with agreed process.

Communication Partnership:

• Develop effective working relationships with colleagues within our council, other councils and statutory services, RPs, external bodies, service users, voluntary and other housing organisations and ensure effective referrals.
• Assist in developing a full range of information and publicity for all clients as well as supporting the development of internal procedures.
• Understand the value of information to the council and contribute to good information governance by keeping information safe, accurate and up to date and available to those who need it.
• Provide advice services to clients through personal or telephone interviews, correspondence, advocacy, reception, home visiting, outreach work and surgeries, workshops and talks to customer groups.
• Deal with enquiries, complaints and correspondence from clients and their advocates, including solicitors, councillors, MPs, the ombudsman and other housing providers, in line with the Councils complaints and enquiries procedure.

Performance and Standards:

• Recognise the critical impact of poor housing and homelessness on customers, and deliver early, accurate and high-quality advice.
• Responsibility for accurate record keeping and use of systems to ensure comprehensive ability to report on customers' individual service provision and overall rehousing trends.
• Ensure that processes are proactively managed and key deadlines, especially around void turnaround, are adhered to.
• Answer members' enquiries and draft responses to complaints/enquiries on individual cases as required.
• Provide statistical information on performance as requested.
• Meet performance targets and ensure that high-quality standards are maintained.

Key Performance Outcomes:

• Local authority void turnaround.
• Numbers of prevention properties and PRSOs let.
• Numbers in B&B over 6 weeks.
• Void turnaround and void percentage for TA.

Resource Management:

The postholder has no specific budget management responsibilities. However, decisions can have significant financial impacts and cause both the commitment of resources and of long-term housing provision commitments.

Assist in the training and induction of new staff.

Corporate Accountabilities:

All employees of the Council should undertake and conduct their work with due regard to the corporate accountabilities. These include responsibilities for outcomes regarding Equality, Conduct & Behaviour, Health & Safety, Data Protection, Safeguarding and Customer Care.

Flexibility:

The key responsibilities and duties of the role are neither exclusive nor exhaustive. All workers are expected to operate flexibly to support delivery of services and from time to time will be required to undertake responsibilities outside the normal remit of role description as required by the line manager, which are broadly commensurate with the job level and scope of competence.