Temporary Accommodation Officer Grade FG

3 months contract with a Local Authority

Job Summary:

• The Council is focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for its communities. To do this the Council needs employees who thrive in an agile and networked organisation and who can support continuous improvement within a constructive organisational culture. The role will therefore undertake.
  

• To ensure the effective and efficient management of all Temporary Accommodation in accordance with relevant legislation policies and procedures.
  
• To ensure all repairing obligations and health & housing safety rating standards are met within Temporary Accommodation provided within the Council s own Hostel accommodation and homes leased in the private sector including that managed by external providers.
  
• To manage relationships with homeless households provided temporary accommodation including action to assist in income recovery investigate antisocial behaviour and where needed recover possession
  
• To build and maintain relationships with providers of Temporary Accommodation.
  
• To identify safeguarding risks welfare and support needs of residents and the suitability of accommodation provided
  
• To support the Temporary Accommodation Team Manager and the Accommodation Services Lead by contributing to the overall development of the temporary accommodation service.
  

Key Duties/Accountabilities (Sample):

• To deliver a highquality temporary accommodation management service to homeless households and other occupants of temporary accommodation including the Council Hostels Private Leasing Scheme and other supported accommodation including homes spot purchased with providers used to accommodate homeless households social service clients and individuals with experience of rough sleeping.
  
• To undertake property viewings and signups and to support residents to retain their homes by actively assisting in application for housing benefit on commencement of lettings.
  
• To ensure rent account setup and closure applicable to a letting providing information to residents on mechanisms for rent payment.
  
• To advise the Housing Access and Housing Solutions team of nominee s acceptance of accommodation or in refusal to help secure reasons for this at viewing to provide the Housing Access team.
  
• To ensure periodic compliance certification health and housing safety rating checks through a programme of periodic and responsive property visits and provide person centred fire risk assessments to ensure safety of occupants.
  
• To undertake property inspections at prevoid void relet and within a planned programme of visits to identify repair and property improvement needs providing report on property conditions and using photobook or other tools to identify and monitor repair and improvement needs to completion.
  
• To raise repair requests with accommodation providers and contractors and to monitor their completion to ensure the Local Authority meets its obligations to residents and that providers meet the contractual terms of their lease or other agreement.
  
• To ensure any absence of repair or improvement needed breach of compliance certification or property hazard identified within the health and housing safety rating system is recorded and escalated to providers of accommodation and team leader and in absence of action within reasonable timescales referred to the Market Supply team billings officer.
  
• To ensure any applicable recharge for repair to occupier or provider in notifying party and referring collection charge to Market Supply team billings officer.
  
• To provide responses to enquiries related to property conditions improvement and repair requests from accommodation providers residents their advocates and elected representatives.
  
• To proactively work to reduce void turnaround minimising financial loss
  
• To investigate antisocial behaviour and to record these in the reporting tool.
  
• To investigate licence breaches and monitor arrears identifying cases for referral to multiagency professionals meetings for consideration of possession action.
  
• To liaise with Legal Services for steps required for possession action and to represent the Council at court hearings and evictions.
  
• To liaise with the Housing Access Team to advise on a need to provide alternative temporary accommodation to residents in relation to suitability underoccupation overcrowding or other reasons to meet the needs of residents and service.
  
• To liaise with the Housing Solutions Team to effect discharge of duty as required.
  
• To liaise with colleagues and partners to maximise the use of private sector opportunities to accommodate homeless households and avoid the use of bed & breakfast accommodation wherever possible including advising the Housing Access team of pending voids pre void and post void suitability for viewings ready for let dates and property descriptions within a Property Information Notification (PIN).
  
• To identify subletting unauthorised occupation and abandonment of accommodation liaising with the Housing Access Team on applications legal services and Southwest London Fraud team.
  
• To identify and raise safeguarding alerts and to attend multiagency meetings regarding residents needs refer residents to support services including those to maximise income and employment opportunities and manage debt as applicable.
  
• Develops strong partnership working with internal and external agencies to improve and promote the service.
  
• To maintain current knowledge of law and policy relating to the service and to provide specialist advice to colleagues as required.
  
• To contribute to the preparation of a draft annual Team Plan for the service and to assist with the review and development of performance targets and best practice & innovation
  
• To meet and exceed performance targets and to submit to the Temporary Accommodation Team Manager information and performance statistics relating to the work of the service.
  
• To participate on a rota basis on the outofhours service to Temporary
  
• Accommodation residents to signpost residents to the relevant service provider for outofhours repair as applicable to the letting. To attend the Councils Hostel accommodation in event of fire flood or electrical outage to provide access to contractors if required and assistance to LFB as applicable.
  

Skills/Experience:

• Knowledge of private sector housing law and security of tenure particularly Assured Shorthold Tenancies.
  
• Knowledge of repair and health and safety obligations relating to temporary accommodation and standards in the private sector.
  
• An understanding of the needs of homeless households in temporary accommodation.
  
• Experience of working in a busy frontline housing service or similar and/or significant technical experience.
  
• Experience of partnership working and influencing and negotiating to achieve successful outcomes.
  
• Experience of conducting high quality casework.
  
• Ability to work with others to achieve excellent performance.
  
• Has the ability to understand and assimilate complex information and translate that information into innovation in practice and management.
  
• Customer service focused able to develop productive working relationships and respond effectively to challenging behaviours from customers.
  
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing to a range of audiences including customers advocates and external stakeholders.
  
• Has excellent administration and organisational skills with close attention to detail.
  
• Ability to think plan and act with a creative approach to problem solving and delivery in demanding circumstances and with competing priorities to ensure deadlines are met.
  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills the ability to establish effective negotiation skills and working relationships.
  
• A commitment to own personal development and learning.
  

Additional Information:

• The closing date: 27/08/24 @15:00.