Houisng Options Advisor

Thanet District Council’s Housing Options Team is dedicated to providing high-quality support and guidance to our community. We are excited to be looking for a new, permanent colleague to join our dynamic and busy service as a full-time Housing Options Advisor. This role is a vital part of our mission to prevent homelessness and help individuals find suitable, sustainable housing solutions. As a Housing Options Advisor, you will be on the front line, delivering a professional, empathetic, and customer-oriented service to individuals and families. Your primary focus will be supporting those who are joining the Council’s housing register, as well as clients who are homeless or are threatened with homelessness. You will work collaboratively within the Housing Options Team to thoroughly assess each client's unique circumstances, provide comprehensive advice on all available housing options, and clearly communicate the status of their housing applications.

Key Responsibilities and Expectations

• Advise clients on a full range of proactive and preventative housing options aimed at resolving their housing problems, including private rented sector options, homelessness prevention measures, and the application processes for the housing register.
• Establish a strong rapport and communicate sensitively and effectively with people from diverse social, economic, and cultural backgrounds, often during times of significant stress or crisis.
• Maintain meticulous, accurate, and concise records of all interactions and case progress, both verbally and in writing.
• Effective organisational and time management skills are essential for managing a complex and demanding caseload.
• Accurately assess all new applications for those seeking to join the Council’s housing register, ensuring adherence to Thanet Allocations Policy and statutory requirements.
• Proactively review existing applications and reassess the priority and needs of those who have reported a change in circumstances.
• Monitor and respond promptly to all incoming correspondence, whether via email or post, ensuring timely communication with applicants and internal/external partners.
• Take responsibility for verifying advert shortlists generated on the Kent Homechoice platform, including the efficient and correct allocation of all vacant properties owned by the Council and registered Social Landlords within the Thanet area.
• Ensure that the entire administration process of Social housing allocations is executed strictly in accordance with our adopted Allocations policy.

Teamwork and Partnership Working

• Demonstrate excellent customer care and interpersonal skills, working as a supportive and proactive member of the team to develop effective working relationships with colleagues.
• Be responsible for liaising extensively, both internally and externally, with key partners such as Housing Benefits, Social Services, and other support agencies.
• You may be required in some instances to attend and actively participate in regular multi-agency meetings to coordinate support, share information (in line with data protection), and find collaborative solutions for clients with complex needs.
• You must be enthusiastic and hardworking, demonstrating the ability to independently organise and prioritise your own workload and effectively multitask in a fast-paced environment.

Essential Skills and Technology

• You must be computer literate, possessing the knowledge and ability to use computer systems and related technology efficiently to manage case files, correspondence, and reporting.

If you are looking for a rewarding role where you can make a tangible difference in people's lives, thrive on a challenge, and possess the necessary skills and dedication, then we would love to hear from you. This is an excellent opportunity to join a high-performing team committed to serving the Thanet community. Due to the nature of the role the successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS check as part of their pre-employment checks.

For any further information about the role or an informal chat, please contact Kerry Stocker, Senior Allocations and Housing Advisor, via email at kerry.stocker@thanet.gov.uk. Interviews to be confirmed to be held the week commencing 20th April 2026.