Jobs Description

The Accommodation Officer will provide an efficient, high-quality, and customer-focused service to homeless people. The Accommodation Officer will deliver effective and comprehensive support for the management – temporary accommodation (TA) and private rented sector (PRS) portfolios.

 

The Accommodation Officer will also:

• Assist with the Procurement of new TA properties
• Allocate cost effective PRS and TA.
• Perform both proactive, scheduled inspections and reactive, ad hoc inspections as necessary.
• Ensure that all TA and PRS housing meets the required standards and compliance.
• Set up new TA and PRS properties on the IT system
• Accurately and promptly record all inspection and compliance data on IT and data systems.
• Manage TA and PRS housing leases and contracts, ensuring suppliers comply with lease terms and is compliant with agreements.
• Support the management of TA and PRS housing, ensuring residents comply with their agreements and promptly take remedial action when necessary.
• Ensure accommodation is used efficiently and effectively, maintained, and repaired to required standards.
• Collaborate with Caseworkers to manage nightly paid temporary accommodation, conducting both planned and ad hoc inspections.
• Partner with teams to identify and resolve housing management issues such as ASB, hoarding, and fraud.
• Contribute to the efficient management of void and relet processes.
• Work closely with the Home Finder Officer’s to set up and raise rental payments to managing agents and landlords and make payments to PRS and TA portfolio providers and other suppliers.

 

Provide support with the daily TA placements and promote effective move-on to other permanent housing, including intermediate and social housing.  This will involve providing advice and guidance to residents supporting and directing residents to access a broad range of housing options and where appropriate making relevant onward referrals and signposting to other services.

 

The postholder will ensure statutory requirements are met and local team targets are delivered through case working.  The Accommodation Officer will also manage a housing access register and coordinate PRS access to prevent and relieve homelessness, avoid new TA placements, and reduce TA through suitable final relief offers and PRS offers.

Responsibilities

1. Resident & Community Contribution

 

• To demonstrate understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and ensure that these standards are met in order to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting our residents first’.

 

• To ensure that the resident voice is heard and translated into tailored offers.

 

• Collaborate with other services and agencies to provide comprehensive support to residents.

 

• Support the provision of an efficient, effective and resident focused service to customers.

 

• To support, coach and empower residents to independently assess and manage their own housing situation and make informed choices.

 

• Contribute to the delivery of the five commitments to residents from the Council Strategy.

 

 

2. People Management

 

• No direct supervisory responsibility however there maybe a requirement to assist in the induction and training of peers and new employees.

 

3. Operational Service Delivery

 

• To work as part of a team in delivering day-to-day activities of the Accommodation Team.

 

• Ensure the swift and lawful allocation of housing (TA & PRS). Explain the implications of not accepting a property.

 

• Ensure all housing offers (TA & PRS) comply with the statutory homelessness framework.

 

• Serve as the primary contact, offering advice and resolving enquiries and complaints from landlords, managing agents, and tenants through daily operations and dedicated communication channels.

 

• Work closely with the Accommodation Project Officer to process payments to PRS and TA providers efficiently and promptly.

 

• Manage all duties related to the handover of leased TA and PRS housing.

 

• Assist in the negotiation with landlords and managing agents to minimise dilapidation claims and process payments when necessary.

 

• Provide accurate and relevant housing, welfare, and homelessness advice and support.

 

• Ensure all PRS and TA schemes comply with national and local standards, addressing any non-compliance issues promptly.

 

• Assist in the effective management of void and relet processes.

 

• Attend property viewings with residents as directed by the Accommodation Manager.

 

• Co-ordinate in collaboration with residents the storage and removal services as needed.

 

• Co-ordinate with suppliers to arrange key collection and access for sign-up, or S188 duty discharge if necessary.

 

• Work with Legal Services and other departments to handle disrepair complaints and claims, minimising costs.

 

• Conduct proactive, planned inspections of TA and PRS housing, ensuring all necessary actions are completed to the required standard.

 

• Perform reactive, ad hoc inspections of TA and PRS housing, ensuring all necessary actions are completed.

 

• Work closely with the Accommodation Manager to address tenancy issues such as under/over/non-occupation, rent arrears, ASB, hoarding, disrepair, etc.

 

• Work closely with the Accommodation Manager to manage TA and PRS housing, ensuring residents comply with their agreements and taking prompt remedial action as needed.

 

• Support the management of TA and PRS housing leases and contracts, ensuring suppliers comply with lease terms and Hillingdon remains compliant. Taking prompt remedial action as needed

 

• Provide support with negotiating with suppliers to procure units.

 

• Setup up and close down tenancies and rent accounts on systems in liaison with relevant provider and the Casework Team.

 

• Perform pre-allocation checks, including Right to Rent verification.

 

• Accurately record all casework and housing data such as setting up properties on IT systems. This includes maintenance and updating of data on the choice based letting system. Ensure all data is held in compliance with Data Protection and GDPR requirements.

 

• Utilise housing accommodation processes, procedures, and data to improve PRS access and facilitate TA move-on for applicants.

 

• Assist with the drafting of and issuing of statutory offers and decision notifications, including discharge of duty notifications.

 

• Provide support with the daily booking of clients into B&B and TA. Support the work on placing of households into emergency accommodation, where required, including households for social care services.To support reception and late duty rotas (outside office hours) if required to ensure that all customers approved for emergency accommodation are placed on the day.

 

• To make contact with households in TA where needed to provide them with advice and guidance on the full range of housing options available to them and manage their expectations, taking into account their needs and aspirations, their priority on the Housing Register, where this applies, and ability to sustain other options, including intermediate housing options and private rented accommodation.

 

• To support the development and implementation of temporary accommodation tenancy checks, investigate cases where there is concern that temporary accommodation has been abandoned, sub-let or misused and where appropriate, assist in taking action to discharge the Council’s homelessness duty.

 

• To encourage and help homeless households in TA to comply with their licence or tenancy conditions. Where there is a serious breach of duty (including harassment, anti-social behaviour and hate crime) and/or the Council has discharged its homelessness duty, support the Accommodation Manager in ensuring that the accommodation is withdrawn and recovered as efficiently and quickly as possible, where appropriate to do so.

 

• To be aware of the Council’s policy on Risk Management and to escalate any new, emerging or potential risks to the Accommodation Manager.

 

• Partner with the Casework Team to manage nightly-paid temporary accommodation, conducting planned and ad hoc inspections.

 

• Ensure nightly-paid temporary accommodation suppliers and residents comply with their agreements, taking prompt remedial action as required.

 

• To always manage case work in accordance with expected standards of timeliness and quality and to adhere to agreed procedures at all times, including maintaining effective record keeping.

 

• Be knowledgeable and up to date with housing legislation, policy, procedures, case law and Codes of Guidance to ensure statutory requirements are consistently met.

 

• To contribute to communicating clearly and effectively with staff, customers and their representatives, Elected Members, colleagues and other third parties around all aspects of the service delivery and linkages with other areas, promoting a widespread understanding of the service and its capacity in order to manage stakeholders’ expectations and agree realistic outcomes and goals.

 

• To support investigations into Complaints, Members Enquiries, Freedom of Information Requests and Ombudsman enquiries as required.  Ensure corporate standards are met consistently.

 

• Adhere to the Council’s safeguarding policies and procedures and undertake relevant training to help protect children and adults at risk of harm within the borough.

 

• Work flexibly in line with organisational requirements, including working from designated local hubs as part of regular working arrangements.

 

4. Service Planning & Development

 

• Contribute to the annual Team Plan, aligned to the Group / Service Plan(s), that sets out clear objectives and priorities for the team.

 

• Input actively to any Service Level Agreements (SLAs) covering all aspects of service delivery, including performance and response levels.

 

• Take part in training, development and service planning activities.

 

• Develop, maintain, in-depth knowledge of Housing Needs and Homelessness both through self-led learning and formal and informal training opportunities.

 

• Engage in personal and team development through 1-1s, appraisals, team meetings, and performance reviews.

 

• Support and champion the implementation of changes to service delivery.

 

• Identify and act on potential efficiency savings to drive continuous service

improvement.

 

5. Financial & Resource Management

 

• Ensure all purchasing and procurement is conducted in line with the corporate guidelines with appropriate use of the Council’s financial systems.

 

• Deliver against allocated budgets and MTFS saving targets.

 

• Recognise the potential for transferring costs and liabilities onto other services and respond by adapting and tailoring support to contain pressures.

 

• Be financially conscious and ensure that spending and resources are managed efficiently. This includes managing time, avoiding unnecessary waste, to reduce financial impact.

 

6. Service Improvement

 

• Actively participate in the implementation of improvement initiatives and change programmes using the Council’s project management, service improvement methodologies and operating model.

 

• Adopt continuous improvement whilst undertaking role functions.

 

• Contribute to the Council’s transformation agenda, leading by example and inspiring others to embrace change.

 

• Contribute to the development and review of policies related to housing needs and homelessness prevention, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and best practices.

 

7. Contacts

 

• Primary contact will be with other officers within the Council, and service users / residents and their representative bodies. Internal contacts will include:
  • Housing Management
  • Procurement
  • Finance
  • Voids, Repairs and Compliance Team
  • Resident Hub
  • Adult Social Care & Health
  • Children’s Services
  • Community Safety Team
  • Legal Services
  • Housing Benefit
  • Environmental Health
  • Councillors and MPs

 

External Contacts will include:

• Landlords and Agents
• Police
• London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
• Contractors
• Registered Social Landlords
• Local Authorities
• Probation Services
• Third Sector Organisations
• Health
• Estate Agents

 

8. Additional Responsibilities

 

• Take responsibility for developing and promoting sustainable solutions, creative approaches to engagement and securing long term independence.

 

• When required and as part of flexible working – to work within other services and directorates in support of the Council’s overall objectives and projects.

 

• Contribute to the delivery of the outcomes on the Housing and Homelessness Prevention and Rough Sleeping Review Strategies.

 

• Participate in a rota system for the Emergency Out of Hours Housing Service, offering housing advice and sourcing emergency accommodation, if required.

 

• Complete other reasonable tasks to fulfil role purpose or as instructed by management.

  

9. Key Performance Indicators

 

• Work closely with the Accommodation Manager to monitor the timely resolution of resident issues, ensuring that concerns are addressed promptly and effectively.

 

• Contribute to individual and team performance targets, make suggestions for service improvements to ensure the delivery of excellent Housing Needs and Homelessness Services, which deliver value for money.

 

• Contribute to good performance on relevant key performance indicators both local and statutory.

 

• Deliver the agreed Personal Appraisal Goals.

 

This profile and job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties the post holder will carry out. Other reasonable duties commensurate with the level of the post, including supporting emergency and priority situations, will form part of this role.

 

Contract is from May to 31/08 (Temporary)