Housing Assistant

JOB PURPOSE:

Housing departments are responsible for managing and maintaining council housing stock. That includes a range of duties, from letting properties and collecting rents to working with communities to improve their environment and tackle local problems.

MAIN DUTIES:

• Compiling reports on tenants’ arrears and arranging appropriate courses of action including visiting, writing, phoning and/or interviewing tenants.
• Making recommendations to the Housing Officers on the serving of Notices of Seeking Possession/Notices to Quit, including preparing and serving notices.
• Assisting in the allocations function, carrying out pre-tenancy interviews, verifying applications etc.
• Arranging for repairs to be carried out
• Preparing cases for court
• Giving basic advice and information to tenants or prospective tenants - over the phone or in person at the Housing office and liaison with external agencies such as money advice, Citizens Advice Bureau etc.
• Monitoring and ordering supplies for the department, including stationery
• Using computer systems - to prepare letters, reports and figures.

SKILLS

• Good organisational skills - able to plan and prioritise your workload to meet defined targets.
• A desire to help solve problems and to provide an efficient and helpful service.
• To be able to work under pressure and as part of a team.
• The flexibility to manage several different tasks at once.
• Good written communication skills and a good telephone manner for dealing with a wide range of people, including the public, colleagues, contractors and Council Members.
• Numeracy skills.
• Computer literacy and keyboard skills.