Housing Officer in Sittingbourne

Housing Officer

Our vision is to create communities where everyone has a safe home in a place where they're proud to live.

We're big and we're local.

Residents are at the heart of all we do and we use our size to influence positive change in the areas where we operate.

It's also about living our values which are at the HEART of what we do.

All colleagues are expected to demonstrate a commitment to our values through their behaviours, actions and words on a daily basis.

As a valued member of the Southern Housing Team, you'll embrace our Values to inspire others as well as yourself to be

• Honest
• Efficient
• Accountable
• Respectful
• Trusted

You’ll demonstrate our HEART values in your behaviours. You’ll

• Be authentic, open and transparent in your actions and words
• Believe that by working together we accomplish more, and work hard every day to improve services, efficiency and value for money.
• Take responsibility for delivering excellence and own your own actions.
• Embrace difference, and put our residents, colleagues and our partners are at the heart of all you do.
• Do what you say you will and be relied upon to keep your promises.

And, of course, show commitment to our approach to Equality Diversity & Inclusion, Health & Safety, Compliance and Code of Conduct policies and practices within Southern Housing.

The role

The regional housing teams are at the frontline of the housing service and are the team that will deal with complex housing issues and see residents in their homes.

You will be responsible for supporting tenants through the tenancy.

Being professionally curious every day and for ensuring we know who our residents are.

And taking action to ensure their wellbeing, welfare and health and safety are addressed.

You’ll deliver a great service, excellent housing advice and support.

You’ll be empathetic, polite, courteous, and hard working as well as proactively resolving issues when you find them, in a safe and efficient manner.

You will take ownership and responsibility for delivering a variety of housing management tasks, to consistently meet KPI's and operational targets.

Collaboration with internal teams will be essential in your role, as you work together to improve resident satisfaction and ensure a seamless and integrated approach to service delivery.

You will work with the Area Housing Manager to maintain external relationships with key partners including the Local Authorities, statutory and voluntary agencies.

You will deliver a service in line with policy and procedures and to agreed performance standards.

The location

You will work from a main office or hub and will spend much of your time out on site, visiting estates and seeing residents in their homes.

You can work in a hybrid way, making use of our hubs, estate and scheme offices and some of the week working from home subject to business need.

What you’ll be doing

• Provide an effective housing management service, working with multi‑agency partners and within the relevant legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Settle residents into their new homes and visit residents on a regular targeted and proactive basis, ensuring tenancy conditions are met and properties are maintained to a good standard.
• Complete welfare checks, making safeguarding referrals, monitoring and updating cases, working in partnership with multi agency partners.
• Work proactively with customers, managing expectations, to ensure they’re able to have successful tenancies and have a positive view of their environment and landlord.
• Managing complex cases through to completion
• Carry out pre‑void inspections and viewings.

Work with lettings and contract services colleagues to ensure the turnaround of vacant homes are within agreed key performance indicators.

• Support with the management of ASB cases as required.

Lead on dealing with nuisance issues such as neighbour disputes not reaching the ASB threshold.

Explore solutions such as good neighbour agreements, mediation, and non‑legal interventions.

• Attend court and prepare contracts, notices and legal papers on tenancy breach issue.
• Attend multi‑agency partnership meetings
• Support our safeguarding obligations by applying professional curiosity and reporting concerns to the specialist teams.
• Support and collaborate with colleagues who deal with tenancy fraud.
• Prevent non‑essential visits by offering a comprehensive, responsive, high quality housing management service using alternative methods of contact.
• Provide a holistic approach to resident contact, identify opportunities to carrying out tasks on behalf of other teams, and/or support residents into services to improve health and wellbeing, employment, education and training.
• Ensure residents are safe in their homes, working with other teams to provide access to resident's homes as required.

Ensure FRA actions are completed and carrying out PEEPS and PCFRA's as required.

• Carrying out a programme of tenancy audits so we know who our residents are and identifying support needs.
• Assist the income management team in ensuring rental and service charge income is maximised and recovered.
• Work in conjunction with the Risk Management framework, encompassing Health and Safety, Data Protection and demonstrate effective controls and compliance with all statutory, regulatory and policy requirements relating to the management of the business.
• You’ll maintain a detailed knowledge of current legislation, available technology, data protection changes, regulatory framework, and best practice, understanding the implications this has on service, where there are specific service/financial implications.

What you’ll need

• Knowledge and experience
• Experience of working in a housing environment, including dealing with cases of nuisance and harassment in a housing management context and has a good knowledge of relevant legislation and of tenancy enforcement.
• Proven experience of following processes, using initiative, and delivering excellent customer service.
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