Housing Options & Move-On Officer

4Recruitment Services Ltd; Walthamstow; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

4Recruitment Services are seeking an experienced Housing Options & Move-On Officer to work for a local authority based in Walthamstow. The role involves delivering a comprehensive homelessness prevention, housing options, temporary accommodation and PRS move-on service, aiding vulnerable residents including rough sleepers.

Essential experience includes working in homelessness or housing services, understanding rough sleeping complexities, and Housing Act 1996 (Part VII).

Qualifications

• Proven experience in homelessness, housing options or local authority housing service.
• Experience with homeless households and vulnerable individuals.
• Understanding of rough sleeping causes and barriers to settled accommodation.
• Experience with homelessness prevention, PRS access and move-on services.
• Knowledge of Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and related legislation.
• Ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions and keep case records.

Responsibilities

• Deliver housing options, homelessness prevention and move-on services.
• Work with residents who have rough sleeping history to enable move-on into PRS.
• Support at-risk households, identifying housing solutions and avoiding temporary accommodation.
• Assess circumstances, needs, affordability, risks and support requirements.
• Provide advice in line with Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and homelessness legislation.
• Assess suitability of accommodation offers and ensure lawful decisions.
• Negotiate with landlords to prevent tenancy breakdown and sustain housing.
• Identify and secure suitable private rented accommodation to meet needs.
• Arrange emergency/temporary accommodation, including B&Bs and PSLs.
• Support residents through crises and transitions into settled housing.
• Collaborate with landlords, providers, and external support agencies.

Skills

Housing options

Homelessness prevention

Move-on coordination

Landlord negotiations

Job description

4Recruitment Services are seeking an experienced Housing Options & Move-On Officerto work for a local authority based in Walthamstow.

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive homelessness prevention, housing options, temporary accommodation and private rented sector (PRS) move-on service.

The role will involve working with vulnerable residents, including individuals with a history of rough sleeping and households at risk of homelessness, to secure suitable and sustainable accommodation within the private rented sector.

Candidates must have experience working with homeless households, a strong understanding of the causes and complexities of rough sleeping, and experience assessing accommodation suitability in accordance with the Housing Act 1996 (Part VII).

Key Responsibilities include:

• Deliver a comprehensive housing options, homelessness prevention, temporary accommodation placement and move-on service.
• Work proactively with residents who have experienced rough sleeping to facilitate successful move-on into the private rented sector.
• Support households at risk of homelessness, identifying suitable housing solutions and preventing the need for temporary accommodation.
• Assess household circumstances, housing needs, affordability, risks and support requirements to identify sustainable accommodation options.
• Provide advice and guidance in accordance with the Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and relevant homelessness legislation.
• Assess the suitability of accommodation offers, ensuring decisions are lawful, robust and defensible.
• Negotiate with landlords to prevent tenancy breakdown and sustain existing accommodation wherever possible.
• Identify, source and secure suitable private rented accommodation to meet housing needs and discharge statutory duties.
• Arrange and allocate emergency and temporary accommodation, including B&Bs, hostels, nightly lets, PSLs and other accommodation schemes.
• Support residents through crisis situations, accommodation placements and transitions into settled housing.
• Work collaboratively with landlords, accommodation providers, internal housing teams and external support agencies.
• Make appropriate referrals to specialist services, including domestic abuse, mental health, adult social care and NRPF services.
• Manage complex and escalated customer cases, providing appropriate housing advice and recommendations.

Essential Experience includes:

• Proven experience working within a homelessness, housing options or local authority housing service.
• Experience supporting homeless households and vulnerable individuals, particularly those with a history of rough sleeping.
• A good understanding of the causes and complexities of rough sleeping and the barriers individuals face in securing settled accommodation.
• Experience of homelessness prevention, private rented sector access and move-on services.
• A sound understanding of the Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and relevant homelessness legislation.
• Experience assessing the suitability of accommodation in line with statutory requirements.
• The ability to make sound, evidence-based decisions and maintain accurate case records.

Recruitment is done in line with safe recruitment practices. 4Recruitment Services is an equal opportunities employer.