Private Sector Housing Officer

As a Private Sector Housing Officer, your primary focus is to improve standards in the private rented sector. You will bring your construction and housing enforcement knowledge to effectively manage stakeholders in the enforcement process including tenants, private landlords, accommodation providers and external agencies such as fire service, police and council departments.

The Private Sector Housing team work across a diverse housing sector to deliver adaptations and improve standards, supporting people to live in safe, warm and good quality homes, enabling a positive impact on their health.

What you will be doing

• Maintaining a case load, you will offer support to tenants and provide advice to owners on works required and services available to help them improve and repair their property. You will be required to keep detailed records of all actions on a database.
• It will be your responsibility to identify unlicensed HMOs that fall under the mandatory licensing regime by using existing data, site visits, and co-ordinating small-scale surveys as necessary.
• Regularly, you will undertake inspections and take appropriate enforcement action against unlicensed HMOs including prosecutions or the use of civil penalty notices.
• Investigating complaints from tenants about property conditions, you will carry out inspections under the Housing Act 2004, and serve notices, taking enforcement action for breaches, including prosecutions and issuing civil penalty notices.
• You will support in developing systems and procedures to ensure the continued improvement of conditions in the private rented sector within South Gloucestershire.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold a degree in environmental health or equivalent or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of relevant knowledge in the private sector housing field.
• You will be Housing Health and Safety Rating System qualified and experienced and competent in assessing properties including HMOs in accordance with the HHSRS.
• We require you to be experienced in drafting and serving Statutory Housing Act Notices and producing witness statements and case files to attend court and tribunals to give evidence.
• Having a proven track record of enforcement action, you will be fully knowledgeable of the Housing Act 2004, Housing and Planning Act 2016 and other private sector housing legislation for single and multi-occupied properties.
• Experienced in private sector housing processes and procedures, you will have a good understanding of the service delivery environment, have good investigatory and people skills to take enforcement action, with a desire and drive to improve conditions in the private rented sector.
• You will be able to manage your own workload and prioritise and respond to demands to ensure both customer satisfaction and legislative requirements are met.

What you need to know

• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence.
• You will primarily be based at our Badminton Road office in Yate, with the option to work on a hybrid basis from home.
• The role may require you to work outside normal working hours as the need arises.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

We know our team work best when they have balance in their lives and we offer genuine flexibility to help them achieve that work/life balance. We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities. Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here. We’re building and shaping communities which people are proud of. We’re working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life. We’re investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential. We’ve achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference. We’re making a difference, be part of it!