Housing Enforcement Officer

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability confident employer

Armed Forces Covenant partner

Care Leaver Covenant partner

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council seeks an experienced Housing Enforcement Officer to join our Private Sector Housing Team. The role focuses on improving housing standards, safeguarding residents, tackling rogue landlords, and enforcing across the private rented sector.

The ideal candidate will conduct inspections using HHSRS, identify hazards, and take appropriate enforcement action. A degree in Environmental Health and an HHSRS competency qualification are required, with a UK driving licence

Qualifications

• Degree in Environmental Health or related subject is required.

Responsibilities

• Investigate poor housing conditions, management failures and unlicensed properties.
• Prepare and serve statutory notices, orders and formal enforcement actions.
• Develop cases for civil penalties, prosecutions and tribunal proceedings.
• Prepare witness statements and evidence bundles and represent the Council in the First-tier Tribunal when required.
• Work with partners such as Police, Fire & Rescue Service, Immigration Enforcement and HMRC to protect residents.

Skills

Investigation skills

Report writing

Communication skills

Regulatory enforcement

Education

Degree in Environmental Health

HHSRS competency qualification

Job description

Are you an experienced Housing Enforcement professional looking for a role where your expertise is valued, your judgement is trusted, and your work delivers tangible outcomes for residents?

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a motivated and ambitious Housing Enforcement Officer to join our high-performing Private Sector Housing Team. Following a recent service transformation, we are operating as one integrated team with a strong focus on improving housing standards, safeguarding vulnerable residents, tackling rogue landlords, and driving compliance across the private rented sector.

Our officers are trusted to take decisive action to tackle poor housing conditions, bring unlicensed properties into compliance, and hold rogue landlords and criminal operators to account. This is an exciting opportunity to join a progressive, high-performing service where enforcement is valued, professional judgement is respected, and staff are supported to develop their expertise across the full range of private sector housing functions.

Our Benefits

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

What will you be doing?

You will undertake inspections of rented properties using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), identifying hazards, breaches of housing legislation and management standards, and taking appropriate enforcement action.

Working Across a Varied And Challenging Caseload, You Will

• Investigate poor housing conditions, management failures and unlicensed properties.
• Prepare and serve statutory notices, orders and formal enforcement actions.
• Develop cases for civil penalties, prosecutions and tribunal proceedings.
• Prepare witness statements and evidence bundles and represent the Council in the First-tier Tribunal where required.
• Work alongside partners including the Police, Fire & Rescue Service, Immigration Enforcement and HMRC to protect residents and tackle criminal and irresponsible practices.

No two days are the same. You will be trusted to manage your own caseload while being supported by experienced managers and colleagues who are passionate about delivering high-quality regulation and enforcement.

About You

We are looking for officers who want to do more than inspect properties.

We want professionals who are confident using the full range of housing enforcement powers, who are passionate about protecting residents, and who are motivated by achieving meaningful outcomes in the private rented sector.

You Will Have

• A degree in Environmental Health or a related subject, or significant equivalent experience in Private Sector Housing regulation.
• A recognised HHSRS competency qualification.
• Strong knowledge of the Housing Act 2004, HHSRS and local authority enforcement powers.
• Significant experience of housing enforcement, including preparing cases through to Tribunal or Magistrates' Court.
• Excellent communication, investigation and report-writing skills.

A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential as the role involves travel across West Northamptonshire.

About Us

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner.

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.