Tenancy Officer

· To effectively manage a designated patch of properties of Council owned properties, ensuring that homes are lived in, investigate non-occupation and illegal occupancy.

· To ensure that tenants understand their rights and responsibilities as set out in the tenancy agreement and to assist them to sustain their tenancy

· To participate in community events and activities, supporting tenant engagement and delivering excellent customer service.

· To be aware and make the best use of tools, mechanisms, authority documents and processes to most effectively and efficiently address and resolve issues identified in all breaches of the tenancy conditions.

· To monitor the conditions of the external environment of the council’s neighbourhoods and implement the Asset Based Community Development approach.

· To effectively maintain the conditions of the external environment of the managed patch, managing service contracts and encouraging tenant involvement within in the managed patch, being innovative and creative in sustaining this interaction.

· To manage rent accounts to prevent accrual of rent arrears in general needs housing, independent living and garages.

· Communicating, engaging with, and supporting tenants regarding ongoing rent and debt recovery. Apply the rent recovery procedures and ensure cases are escalated for arrear action in accordance with procedure to ensure rent arrears remain low. Negotiate affordable, and sustainable repayment plans.

· To monitor, identify and action any cases of tenancy fraud and safeguarding by establishing effective partnerships and following recommended policies and guidelines.

· To make sure effective liaison with internal services and external agencies to ensure appropriate care and support packages are offered to vulnerable tenants.

· To support and achieve performance and service targets set within the housing management service.

· To effectively manage and administrator tenancy inspections, including property visits and fire risk assessments.

· To be aware of the need and to initiate, direct and lead on estate plans and profiling information, which contribute to the priorities for improvement in services, estates and communities by the housing service

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

· Experience of tenancy management and enforcement

· Experience of debt and income recovery, including non-legal and legal remedies, in a local authority or housing association setting

· A sound knowledge of landlord and tenant legislation (Housing Act 1985, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, The Localism Act 2011, Crime and Disorder Act 2014, Environmental Health Act 1990)

· Excellent communication and negotiation skills

· Ability to deal with people in challenging situations

· Work subject to deadlines involving problem solving, changing circumstances or demand

COMPLEXITY AND CREATIVITY

· To have a good understanding of the complexity involved in tenancy management issues and ensure that the appropriate level of fairness, investigation, sensitivity support and enforcement are applied and balanced with the search for creative solutions that may also seek a mediated or other more effective efficient and economically viable outcome.

· Creativity is a feature of the job but exercised within the general framework of recognised procedures.

JUDGEMENT AND DECISIONS

· Judgements and decisions will impact on the lives of customers, in some case very significantly. Making the right decision, based on a thorough and high quality investigation is crucial, as error can lead to challenge and other impact

· Work carried out within programmes and objectives where there is a wide range of choices and where advice is not normally available and/or decisions where policy, procedures and working standards provide only general guidelines