Housing Options Officer

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A local governmental authority in the East Midlands is seeking a knowledgeable Housing Options Officer to join their team. The successful candidate will offer professional advice on housing options, conduct customer interviews, and work to prevent homelessness. This role requires negotiation skills, knowledge of housing legislation, and the ability to handle complex workloads. The position offers a hybrid working model with flexible working options and a generous benefits package.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Generous pension scheme

Annual leave plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• Proven experience in conducting interviews in stressful situations.
• Working knowledge of housing/homelessness legislation and welfare benefit reforms.
• Ability to handle a large and complex workload.

Responsibilities

• Offer professional advice on housing options to potentially homeless customers.
• Conduct interviews, home visits, and liaise with other agencies.
• Agree and monitor personal housing plans for customers.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Knowledge of housing legislation

Customer service experience

Job description

Overview

This is an exciting time to join the Housing Options Service with the opportunity to build on the excellent results already seen around homelessness prevention. We are looking for a knowledgeable and dedicated Housing Options Officer to join our current team.

Details

Role: Housing Options Officer

Grade: 6

Salary: £33,699 up to £38,220 per annum pro rata plus standby and call out payments

Hours: 18.5 hours per week / 37 hours over two weeks, 12 month fixed term contract

Working pattern: Suggested pattern (negotiable)

• Week 1: Mon AM 3.5 hours; Tue AM 4 hours; Wed – Non working day; Thu AM 3.5 hours; Fri AM 4 hours
• Week 2: Mon AM 4 hours; Tue AM 3.5 hours; Wed AM 3.5 hours; Thu AM 4 hours; Fri – 7.5 hours (duty day)

Responsibilities

Drawing on proven experience of dealing with customers in a busy front line service, you will offer professional advice on a range of housing options to potentially homeless customers. The Housing Options Officer will work with customers to resolve their housing situation, with an emphasis on preventing homelessness, using a range of tools, giving timely advice on housing options across a wide spectrum of tenures, as well as applying relevant legislation. Duties will include carrying out interviews, home visits, liaison with other agencies, negotiations, agreeing and monitoring personal housing plans, in addition to arranging temporary or permanent accommodation for customers facing homelessness.

Requirements

The successful candidate will have proven experience of conducting interviews in stressful situations and be a skilled negotiator who is persuasive in challenging situations. You will have a working knowledge of housing/homelessness legislation, welfare benefit reforms, rent arrears procedures, private sector issues and will be able to handle a large and complex workload. Use of a car is required and you must be able to participate in a 24 hour out of hours rota.

Working model and location

We operate a ‘hybrid working’ model with a mix of office based, home and remote working available when suitable. The contractual base will be office based with agreed flexibility to work from home or at remote working locations in the borough.

Additional information

Closing date: 21 September 2025

Interview date: 1 October 2025

Hinckley & Bosworth – A PLACE OF OPPORTUNITY

Situated at the very heart of England on the border of the East and West Midlands, Hinckley is well connected by major transport links to the cities of Leicester, Coventry and Birmingham and in an ideal location for commuting being close to major transport links of the M1, M6, M69, M42 and the A5.

We welcome applications from all of the community.

Benefits: flexible working options, generous pension scheme and annual leave plus bank holidays. Reasonable workplace adjustments are considered for all roles.