Private Sector Housing Officer - Kent in Lenham

Private Sector Housing Officer

Kent

£50 - £55 per hour (DOE)

6-month initial contract

Are you an experienced Private Sector Housing Officer looking for your next contract opportunity in Kent?

I'm working with a Local Authority in Kent who are looking to appoint an experienced officer to join their busy Private Sector Housing team for an initial 6-month contract.

The service is focused on improving standards across the private rented sector, ensuring residents are living in safe and healthy homes and taking appropriate action where landlords or properties fail to meet required standards.

You'll be managing your own caseload, investigating housing complaints, carrying out property inspections and progressing cases from initial investigation through to resolution. The council is looking for someone who can come in, work independently and confidently deal with a mixture of housing standards and enforcement work.

Key Responsibilities:

• Investigating Private Sector Housing complaints and service requests.
• Carrying out property inspections and completing HHSRS assessments.
• Identifying Category 1 and Category 2 hazards and determining appropriate action.
• Using the Housing Act 2004 and relevant housing legislation to investigate poor housing conditions.
• Preparing and serving statutory notices and taking informal or formal enforcement action where required.
• Investigating HMOs and potentially unlicensed properties.
• Managing cases from initial complaint through to resolution and monitoring compliance with notices.
• Liaising confidently with landlords, tenants, managing agents and other stakeholders.
• Helping the service achieve positive housing and health outcomes for residents.
• Supporting wider Private Sector Housing initiatives aimed at improving property conditions, repairs and energy efficiency where required.

About you:

The ideal candidate will have:

• Strong working knowledge of the Housing Act 2004 and HHSRS.
• Practical experience carrying out housing inspections and identifying hazards.
• Experience preparing and serving housing enforcement notices.
• Experience dealing with HMOs and housing standards investigations.
• Confidence managing a varied and potentially complex caseload independently.
• The ability to prioritise cases and find practical solutions to challenging housing issues.
• A relevant Housing, Environmental Health or similar qualification.
• HHSRS competency / assessment and enforcement training.
• Strong communication skills when dealing with landlords, tenants and other stakeholders.The contract will initially run for 6 months, paying £50 - £55 per hour depending on experience.