Choice Based Lettings Officer

Buckinghamshire Council; High Wycombe; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government authority in High Wycombe is looking for a Part Time Choice Based Lettings Officer to join their Housing Service team. This role involves delivering expert housing options advice and supporting vulnerable households with the council’s housing register and related services. The position offers 17 hours of work per week under a fixed-term contract, presenting a genuine opportunity to assist in improving community housing options.

Benefits

Health and well-being initiatives

Discounted gym memberships

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Ability to provide empathetic and non-judgmental service to customers.
• Understanding of housing legislation, regulations, and welfare benefits.
• Experience of working in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Deliver expert housing options advice.
• Assess applications for social housing and manage housing register.
• Provide services to vulnerable and disadvantaged households.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Time management

Problem solving

Customer focus

ICT skills

Job description

We have an excellent opportunity for a Part Time Choice Based Lettings Officer to join our fast-paced Housing Service. This is a key role within the team delivering expert housing options advice.

Please note, this is a secondment/ fixed-term contract opportunity for 12 months. It is offered on a part-time basis working 17 hours per week. The salary advertised will be pro-rata for the part time hours worked.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively neworganisation that combines the strengths and expertiseof the previousfive councils in the countytocreate positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to providestronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

About the role

Your role will be to provide advice and support to a diverse client group including vulnerable and disadvantaged households in relation to the council’s housing register, Bucks Home Choice. Responsibilities include assessment of social housing applications, shortlisting and lettings of social housing under Part VI of the Housing Act 1996 within the framework of the Councils statutory Allocations Policy, signposting and referral to our homelessness prevention and advice service, offering housing options advice and assisting senior officers with informal and statutory reviews, complaints, member enquiries and FOI requests.

Key Accountabilities

• To deliver expert professional advice in line with our allocations policy.
• To assess applications for housing, monitor and upkeep of the housing register and to effectively and swiftly, provide nominations of residents to registered providers, including direct lets where necessary, in line with the policy, ensuring the best use of stock.
• To provide a housing options advice service to all those seeking accommodation, giving relevant, appropriate and accurate housing advice on all housing options available including Choice Based Lettings, low-cost home ownership, mutual exchanges, under occupation, transfers, and intermediate/affordable rent.
• To undertake assessments of social housing applications, determine eligibility as defined by current legislation under the Housing Act Part VI and associated statutory guidance and to determine the qualification and shortlisting of applicants, which includes; the interpretation and application of the Council’s housing allocations policy correctly and accurately for each application based on the household’s circumstances.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You’ll thrive in a fast-paced environment and be able to manage working to tight deadlines. If you’re good at using your initiative, thinking on your feet, customer focused and ambitious, we want to hear from you!

With a number of different tasks coming into the team on any given day, you’ll need to be able to prioritise work quickly, have good time management skills and have excellent communication and written skills. You will need to be an excellent problem solver and highly adaptable. You will be able to build relationships quickly and provide an empathetic and non-judgmental service to customers. You will need excellent ICT skills and a broad knowledge and understanding of the service area including, legislation, regulations, systems, welfare benefits and policies would be desirable.

Other information

Please see the attached job summary for further information on the role.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire. We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

It’s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.