- Pay Rate:
£19.91 per hour PAYE
- Hours per Week:
35-37 Monday – Friday, normal working hours
This opening assignment is for 5-6 months.
- Catford, London,
SE6 4RU
Temporary Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Officer-Housing
Reference no: Lewisham 0006 26FC / 1
Basic DBS disclosure required
The postholder will arrange emergency, temporary accommodation placements and make appropriate referrals into supported accommodation, ensuring all placements and referrals are carried out in a timely manner, making the best use of all available housing stock at all times.
Key responsibilities:
- Make offers of properties in line with Housing legislation and make robust decisions to discharge duty where necessary that will withstand legal scrutiny.
- Arrange emergency accommodation on behalf of other Council services, including Children’s Social Services and Adult Social Care as and when required
- Co-ordinate available properties in the private rented sector and in conjunction with Housing Caseworkers, identify highest priority households to be put forward for Direct Lets to prevent and relieve homelessness.
- Ensure high quality offers, suitability and discharge of duty decisions are made in a timely manner relating to offers of properties (temporary accommodation & private rented properties)
- Work proactively to find an appropriate housing solution to bring the Council’s ‘relief’/ full housing duty to an end
- Ensure accurate records are maintained of those in all types of emergency, temporary and supported housing, maintaining statistical information for local and central government statistical returns.
- Ensure referrals are made to other agencies as part of the discharge process as necessary e.g. MASH.
- Co-ordinate moves out of emergency and temporary accommodation in a timely manner,
“Specific Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria:
Experience & Knowledge / Technical skills
- Good knowledge of the management of voids and lettings practices
- Up to date knowledge of the welfare benefit system and its application
- Excellent knowledge and detailed understanding of Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other relevant housing and homelessness legislation, case law and guidance
- Knowledge of Landlord and Tenant Legislation, the Housing Act 1985 and Protection from Eviction Act 1977
- Experienced in undertaking suitability and affordability assessments for accommodation provided under homelessness provisions
- A comprehensive understanding of the needs of vulnerable people and how their needs can be met, including their social, emotional and wellbeing needs-
- Experience of working in a customer demand led business in the public or private sector
- Experience of dealing sensitively with distressed or challenging customers/service users
- Experience of working with landlords and managing agents to access void properties and to refer clients
- Experience of administrative systems and office work
- Experience of responding to correspondence and resolving complaints
Skills & Abilities
- Excellent prioritisation and problem-solving skills
- Excellent customer care skills
- Excellent negotiating and influencing skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to understand and explain both local policies and statutory legislation
- Ability to engage people in a friendly, positive and inclusive manner.
- Ability to be organised and target driven
- ICT Skills: Strong IT skills including Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite)
NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via [email protected] by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. SEE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS AD.
If you have previously applied to one of our vacancies and have already sent the required supporting documentation to us, please make this clear when you re-apply as this will help speed up your application.
Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for.
Other “Essential Requirements” – Please check to ensure that your CV addresses the following items:
- Our clients are generally seeking applicants who are reasonably local, so on that basis we would ideally like you to supply us with your address (or at least your post code) and a telephone number so that we can reach you during working hours.
- Your recent UK working experience going back at least 5 years, or full employment history if you have been working for fewer years than this.
- Your availability to work either immediately, or at short notice.
- Unless the DBS requirement stated above is for a Basic Disclosure, your DBS must be either through us or be accompanied by a subscription to the DBS updating service.
- Please refer to the Role Requirements section above - your CV must address the requirements listed.
Other preferable/desirable details to include on your CV, if applicable:
- Any local authority/public sector experience
- Any relevant qualifications held or being studied for.
M.N
CV Tips
Your CV needs to be current with your most recent role. We won’t be able to submit it with any unexplained gaps in employment. It will save time and improve your chances of success if we can put your CV forward immediately without having to ask for revisions.
Your CV must cover the “Essential Requirements” of the role. Ideally you will address the “Essential Requirements” on each job description page directly, in a bullet point list. Please include any DBS details and other qualifications called for.
Your CV should clearly state that you are available to start work either immediately, or at short notice. In general, our clients are unable to work with notice periods of more than 1 week from the point at which a role is offered, 2 weeks at the very most.
We do not put forward covering letters, so please ensure that your CV in contains all relevant information being called for.
We recommend that you consider sending us a CV suitably tailored CV for each role that you apply for. Job board aggregator sites will generally store only one version of your CV, which can be a bit limiting, so this is to your advantage.