Housing Officer in Luton

Housing Officer – Fixed Term Contract

Contract: Fixed Term – 6 months / Full Time

Salary: £29,000‑£33,500 per annum (depending on experience)

Hours: 37 hours per week (Mon‑Fri) agile working – we provide flexibility of hours to benefit both our teams and customers.

We’re a not‑for‑profit housing association that has been providing affordable housing in Luton and South‑Bedfordshire since 1962. Our Homes department is a vital division that works closely with partners such as the Department for Work & Pensions, Luton Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council. We manage around 370 homes for independent living – from bedsits to four‑plus bedroom houses – across Luton, Dunstable, Caddington and Barton‑le‑Clay. We support customers to manage and sustain their tenancy, offering guidance to help them progress towards private rental or home ownership.

Role

You will be the main point of contact and will deliver an end‑to‑end tenancy management service, proactively managing the customer relationship. You will ensure our customers’ needs are met and exceeded while searching for innovative ways to enable as many people as possible to benefit from our limited housing resource. You will provide support and advice to other team members.

• Embed a great service culture that promotes high levels of tenant and community engagement and reflects Squared’s values, providing a flexible and responsive service.
• Assess the needs of customers applying for housing through choice‑based letting and our transfer process.
• Manage rent arrears control, including filing particulars of claim and representing the landlord at court.
• Closely monitor void levels, rent collection, rent arrears and other KPIs, taking action to meet targets and follow Squared policies.
• Consider risk issues relating to ASB, manage cases proactively, and encourage tenants and stakeholders to resolve conflicts using self‑help techniques.
• Address safeguarding issues in accordance with Squared’s Safeguarding policy.
• Inspect communal areas and estates, raise and follow up on corrective actions.
• Provide responsive and efficient estate, block and facilities management to keep communal areas safe and well‑maintained.
• Monitor and control empty homes, including pre‑void inspections.
• Tackle anti‑social behaviour on estates and communal areas.
• Escalate cases through the legal framework as necessary, represent Squared as landlord at court, and liaise with solicitors.
• Stay current with housing sector knowledge – property management, service charges, health and safety, personal safety, and working with vulnerable people.
• Allocate property and manage different tenancy agreements.
• Keep up to date with welfare benefits and reforms, updating the team.
• Handle generic housing management queries.
• Liaise with external agencies, local authorities and partners, and internal Squared departments to deliver high customer satisfaction.

Travel between sites is required; you must hold a full clean UK driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work purposes. The role is subject to a DBS check.

Person

As an experienced housing professional, you will hit the ground running by managing our housing portfolio. You bring strong housing knowledge, having handled all elements of the role. You are adept at building strong working relationships with customers, internal teams and external partners to meet business objectives and provide the best service. You combine self‑management, administrative skills, empathy, support and the ability to be firm when necessary. We’d love to hear from you.

Benefits

• 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays)
• Health CashPlan
• Contributory Pension
• Life Assurance
• Holiday Buying/Selling
• Perks at Work shopping discounts/cashback
• Free parking at our Bramingham Office