Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Officer in London

We highly encourage neurodivergent and disabled applicants to apply for this inclusive role. The role is 12 months until the end of June 2026. We require a HAPs Project officer for the Housing Acquisition Programme which is funded through this programme. The aim of the project is to reduce the number of clients in highly expensive nightly paid accommodations and reduce our TA spend.

Main Purpose of the job:

• To arrange emergency, temporary accommodation placements and make appropriate referrals into supported accommodation, ensuring all placements and referrals are carried out in a timely manner, making the best use of all available housing stock at all times.
• To make offers of properties in line with Housing legislation and make robust decisions to discharge duty where necessary that will withstand legal scrutiny.
• Arrange emergency accommodation on behalf of other Council services, including Children’s Social Services and Adult Social Care as and when required.
• Co-ordinate available properties in the private rented sector and in conjunction with Housing Caseworkers, identify highest priority households to be put forward for Direct Lets to prevent and relieve homelessness.
• To ensure high quality offers, suitability and discharge of duty decisions are made in a timely manner relating to offers of properties (temporary accommodation & private rented properties).
• To work proactively to find an appropriate housing solution to bring the Council’s ‘relief’/ full housing duty to an end.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidelines so that accommodation is allocated based on need and all offers of accommodation are suitable.
• Proactively contribute to the council’s action plan to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by monitoring and maximising move on opportunities from temporary accommodation and supported housing.
• Ensure accurate records are maintained of those in all types of emergency, temporary and supported housing, maintaining statistical information for local and central government statistical returns.

Summary of Responsibilities and Personal Duties:

• Maintain an accurate record of available properties and promote the timely and efficient turnaround of void properties through adherence to the voids procedure.
• To proactively assist to move clients from temporary accommodation who are suitable for move-on to other accommodation via the housing register and where necessary completion of income and expenditure assessments to determine affordability and minimize costs to the business.
• To liaise and maintain excellent relationships with the wider Housing Needs and Refugee Services Group for the proactive management of the temporary accommodation portfolio and use it to secure accommodation options for clients.
• To identify cases of fraud and misrepresentation and ensure appropriate legal action can be taken.
• Assess medical information and make appropriate referrals to the Council’s Housing Medical Adviser, communicating the outcomes of medical assessments to applicants in a clear and timely manner.
• To pre-allocate/let all temporary and permanent accommodation within deadlines ensuring re-let times are minimized.
• To be responsible for allocating shared and self-contained Nightly Paid accommodation to meet daily demand from Council services using the procurement hub.
• Signing up tenants for Nightly Paid accommodation including completion/advice of appropriate Housing Benefit forms, issuing rent cards, tenant ‘Code of Conduct’, tenants removals/storage and accurately setting the account up on academy.
• To ensure rent accounts are set up for each placement and assist to monitor rent accounts and maximise income by ensuring that caseworkers submit Housing Benefit claims at the point of sign up, ensuring any void temporary accommodation is minimised.
• To ensure that clients are moved on from nightly paid accommodation to hostels/PSLs as soon as possible and that the ‘six week’ target for pregnant or families with children is met.
• To manage and maintain accurate records of budget and spend.
• To monitor, report and prepare regular timely statistical information.
• To respond to correspondence and complaints within corporate targets.
• To ensure continuous improvement of both local and departmental systems and to keep up to date with both changes within the department and legislation.
• To lead and participate in projects within the service and report back including written reports and presentations.
• To train all new and existing staff and partner landlord staff on systems and housing services.
• To support the Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Team Leader and Managers across the service in the delivery of the service.
• To co-ordinate the allocation of available private rented properties, ensure suitable applicants are identified in a timely manner to best meet housing need and bring homelessness duties to an end.
• To identify when accommodation duties have ended and oversee discharge of duty, this includes drafting robust decision letters.
• Ensuring referrals are made to other agencies as part of the discharge process as necessary e.g. MASH.
• To receive requests for move on accommodation from supported housing providers and facilitate the most appropriate move on option, once assessed, in a timely manner so that supported housing is always occupied by those that need it the most.
• To co-ordinate moves out of emergency and temporary accommodation in a timely manner, for example, when leased properties are being handed back, or temporary accommodation is being redeveloped.
• To utilise multiple ICT systems to check, record and maintain concise, accurate and evidence based records and statistical data, working closely with accommodation providers and Casework Tracking and Improvement Analysts, to ensure information is up to date.
• To adhere to policies and procedures relating to the Safeguarding of Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults.

Internal Contacts:

These include officers from across the Housing Services Division, Housing Benefits, Children and Young People’s Directorate and other departmental officers as relevant to the work being carried out.

External Contacts:

This will include Customers, Advocates, partner Landlords, and other relevant Third Parties as relevant to the work being carried out.

To carry out the duties of the post with due regard to the Council’s relevant codes and procedures. All employees are required to participate in the Performance Evaluation Scheme (PES) and to undertake appropriate training and development identified to enhance their work. Undertake other duties, commensurate with the grade, as may reasonably be required. Consideration will be given to restructuring the duties of this post for a disabled postholder.