Senior Housing Standards Officer in Esher

Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9SD

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full Time

Hours: 36 hours per week.

DBS Check: Yes

Closing Date: 03/08/2026 at 09:00

Reference: SER/26/341182

Housing Standards Team

Interviews: TBC

Join Our Team as a Senior Housing Standards Officer

Are you an experienced Environmental Health professional looking to make a real difference to people’s lives and supporting people in the community? Elmbridge Borough Council is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Housing Standards Officer to help improve housing conditions and raise standards across the borough's diverse housing sector.

Elmbridge is a thriving and desirable borough with a significant and varied private rented sector. High housing demand and property values create unique challenges for residents, landlords and housing professionals alike. As part of our Housing Standards Team, you will play a key role in ensuring that homes across all tenures are safe, well managed, energy efficient and compliant with legal requirements, helping to protect the health and wellbeing of our residents.

Reporting to the Housing Standards Manager, you will investigate complaints relating to poor housing conditions, undertake inspections using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), and determine appropriate interventions ranging from advice and guidance through to formal enforcement action. You will lead on complex housing cases, prepare legal documentation, represent the Council in court and tribunal proceedings when required, and support the delivery of our objectives around empty homes, Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), caravan site licensing and domestic energy efficiency.

This is an excellent opportunity for a housing professional who enjoys problem-solving, partnership working and making sound regulatory decisions. You will supervise and support Housing Standards Officers, provide technical expertise across the team, and work closely with residents, landlords, managing agents, solicitors, fire safety officers and other key partners to achieve positive outcomes.

Working for Elmbridge offers the opportunity to deal with a wide variety of challenging and rewarding cases in one of the most sought-after areas in the South East. Whether tackling housing hazards, bringing empty properties back into use, improving standards in the private rented sector or promoting energy efficiency, your work will have a direct impact on the quality of life of local residents and support the Council's wider housing objectives.

About You

• You will hold a professional qualification in Environmental Health.
• You will have substantial experience of private sector housing enforcement and housing standards work.
• You will possess strong knowledge of housing legislation, HHSRS and enforcement processes.
• You will be confident leading complex investigations and preparing cases for legal proceedings.
• You will have basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• You will have excellent organisational, communication and time management skills, be able to navigate and work effectively in a busy, client facing service.
• You will be customer-focused and committed to delivering high-quality services for residents, helping to make a difference for our residents.
• You will enjoy working collaboratively and supporting the development of colleagues and enjoy being part of a team.
• You will be based at the Civic Centre in Esher.

An Enhanced DBS check covering both adults and children will be required for this role.

Elmbridge Borough Council - Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. If you require any adjustments to be able to engage in the recruitment process for this role, please let us know by emailing humanresources@elmbridge.gov.uk.