Legal Disrepair Surveyor in London

To deliver a high quality customer focused repairs and maintenance service to act as essential technical support to the Repairs and Operations Service and across Property Services. This is a lead support function to the Repairs and Operations Managers, North and South, overseeing a range of technical surveying functions. These will include pre and post-condition inspections of works, with focus on quality and cost, including checks on asbestos management, CDM regulations and void specification brief(s).

It will be expected that the workload would be prioritised in line with the needs of the business and residents. Responsibilities include:

• Undertaking and monitoring client responsibilities for all contracts within the post's remit.
• Providing specialist and professional reports, writing specifications, managing disrepair cases, insurance cases, undertaking estate inspections and quality assurance inspections.
• Overseeing the delegated Revenue and Capital budgets for Repair and Maintenance and one-off projects.
• Supporting the Repairs & Operations Service and Property Management to reduce compensation costs associated with legal disrepair.

Example outcomes or objectives that this role will deliver:

• Assisting the Repairs & Operations Team Leader(s) to undertake effective contract administration of repair and maintenance contracts.
• Monitoring Repairs and Operations services delivered by DLO / contractors to LBC housing stock, including quality assurance measures and inspections, specifying and authorising works and payments/variations, and monitoring contractors' performance and budgets.
• Coordinating and integrating input from specialist associated disciplines on multi-disciplinary repairs to verify adequacy and competency of those inputs.
• Ensuring compliance requirements are met and that works delivery demonstrates conformity with safety requirements.
• Preparing and approving appropriate specifications of works for one-off projects.
• Providing professional and technical advice and reports on all matters within the functionality of the service.
• Producing reports for Committees and internal and external stakeholders as required.
• Ensuring appropriate consultation with planners, leaseholders and other stakeholders for statutory compliance.
• Managing LBC legal disrepair cases in accordance with legal disrepair protocol.
• Communicating effectively with internal and external solicitors, housing management colleagues and other stakeholders to resolve claims efficiently.
• Managing other professionals commissioned to undertake property inspections where there is structural damage/movement.
• Instructing specialist consultants or LBC structural engineers where appropriate.
• Liaising with housing management colleagues to arrange for decants of tenants where required.
• Ensuring inspections in relation to minor adaptations works are undertaken if required.
• Providing accurate information to Leasehold Services for statutory Section 20 consultation notices and annual service charge billing.
• Ensuring all duties in respect of CDM are fully met.
• Planning, organising, and implementing effective Quality Assurance systems/procedures/processes.
• Maintaining good record keeping and data management.
• Representing the Directorate at Council, Committee, Forum and external meetings.
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of legislation and best practices.
• Building and maintaining effective working relationships with service managers and colleagues.
• Contributing to the development of policy, practice, procedures and service planning.
• Identifying and reviewing key operational risks regularly.
• Carrying out other duties as directed by the Team Leaders.

Supporting Service Performance and Budgets:

• Monitoring contractors' performance to ensure compliance with performance, contractual compliance, quality and budgetary targets.
• Proactively monitoring all delegated budgets and income streams.
• Providing information to support budgetary and performance monitoring.
• Prioritising and dealing with customer complaints and members' enquiries.
• Analysing complaints to demonstrate service improvements.
• Involving residents in monitoring and reviewing services.
• Using the Councils office-based and mobile IT services for information management.
• Ensuring compliance with the Councils Information Management policies.
• Providing training to staff on legal and complex issues.
• Demonstrating compliance with policies during audits.
• Being familiar with the Councils Safety Policy and Codes of Practice.

Technical Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum of BTEC, HNC/HND in a relevant area e.g. building maintenance, surveying or construction.
• Extensive experience in delivering complex/disrepairs service for social housing.
• Understanding of disrepair legislation, including The Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
• Detailed knowledge of pre and post inspection processes, building pathology and repairs techniques.
• Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities in relation to construction and CDM regulations.
• Knowledge of current housing and social policy issues and legislation.
• Ability to project-manage complex programmes of work.
• Experience of monitoring repairs and maintenance works within a social housing environment.
• Significant experience in undertaking complex building surveying activity.
• Knowledge of contract administration and managing financially complex contracts.
• Knowledge of Local Authority Health and Safety in relation to maintenance of assets.
• Knowledge of different forms of contracts e.g. JCT, NEC, PPC and MTC.
• Knowledge of legal requirements to deal with disrepair claims.
• Experience of writing tender specifications.
• Significant experience in financial management and administration of revenue and capital budgets.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Ability to use a wide range of IT packages and repair databases.
• Ability to work outside normal hours when necessary.