Housing Solutions Officer

Colchester Borough Council; Colchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme

Excellent training and progression

Generous annual leave

Flexible working

Smartphone and laptop

Discounted gym membership

Volunteering day

Free Flu Jab

Agile Working

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Colchester Borough Homes is seeking a Housing Solutions Officer to join our team in Colchester. You will work to prevent homelessness, advise residents, manage demand for council housing services and support colleagues in delivering high-quality services to tenants and leaseholders.

The role requires understanding of the Housing Act 1996 Part 7 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, strong customer service, excellent communication and IT skills, and a commitment to delivering outcomes within

Qualifications

• High standard of customer service skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Ability to manage client relationships and build rapport.
• Can-do attitude toward problem solving.
• Understanding of Homelessness legislation and Housing policies.
• Competent with IT systems including Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Assist in managing demand for the council housing services while offering advice and support to members of the public.
• Manage client expectations and build trusting relationships.
• Contribute to preventing homelessness and finding suitable accommodation for applicants.
• Support colleagues in delivering high-quality housing services within performance targets.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Negotiation

Persuasion

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Homelessness legislation

Housing policies

IT systems

Microsoft Office

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job profile for Housing Solutions Officer

Housing Solutions Officer

16/09/2026 Housing Solutions Officer

The job requirements are detailed below. Further information can be found in the link in the Job Details Section below. If you have auto-fill set up on your device we recommend turning this off before completing your application form.We are aware that users of Apple devices may have difficulties submitting application forms using the Safari browser. We recommend using Google Chrome as your browser if using Apple devices.

Job details

Salary £29,943 to £40,612 Date posted 02/09/2026 Job reference COLREQ01696

Job description

12 months Fixed Term, Maternity Cover,Full time, 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday

This is a career grade role with appointments relevant to experience and qualifications.

Colchester Borough Homes (CBH) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Colchester City Council. As part of the local business community since 2003, we are an award-winning organisation, providing management and maintenance services to around 7,000 residential, commercial and public buildings throughout the Borough, including the Council housing stock, Colchester Castle and Colchester Town Hall.

CBH is a fantastic place to work, delivering vital services and making a real difference to our tenants and leaseholders’ lives. We aim to be a trusted choice for local housing, property and community services. We are an ambitious organisation focused on delivering great value services that make a difference.

Our Housing Solutions service is prevention and relief focused in which we look to work with applicants to manage any threats of homelessness and help prevent homelessness or find alternative accommodation.

The service faces a range of challenges, with an increasing demand for accommodation without an adequate supply of housing. We have made significant changes and developments as a service and achieve effective results.

We are looking for a Housing Solutions Officer with an understanding of the Housing Act 1996 Part 7 (as amended) and of the of the Homeless Reduction Act 2017.

You will be customer focussed and be able to manage a wide and varied workload, whilst meeting our business objectives and performance targets.

The Housing Solutions Officer will assist in managing demand for the council housing services while offering advice and support to members of the public.

An instrumental element of the role will involve managing client expectations and building trusting relationships.

What we are looking for:

• An ability to demonstrate a high standard of customer service skills
• Excellent communication, negotiation and persuasion skills to effectively engage with a range of stakeholders on a daily basis, someone who has an eye for detail, someone who can think on the spot and take tough decisions, whilst applying the legislation and also positively contributing to the development of the service.
• The ability to manage client relationships, building effective rapport
• A can-do attitude towards problem solving will be evident
• An understanding of Homelessness legislation and a general understanding of Housing policies
• Competent with IT systems including Microsoft Office amongst others

We offer a range of benefits which include flexible working, staff benefits, pension, and the opportunity to make a real difference to our local community.

Benefits of the role include:

• Local Government Pension Scheme with a 19.5% % employer contribution
• Excellent training, development, and progression opportunities
• Generous annual leave entitlement, 23 days annual leave (increasing to 26 days after 5 years* service), plus bank and public holidays and two extra company holidays during the Christmas period.
• The opportunity to buy up to another 5 days holiday, subject to conditions
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme
• Provision of a smartphone and laptop
• Discounted gym member - corporate membership rate at Leisure World and the Northern Gateway.
• 1 Volunteering Day per year
• Free Flu Jab
• Exceptional flexible working arrangement
• Agile Working at Colchester Borough Homes means having some flexibility about when, where and how we work to best meet the needs of our role and service area.

Other employee benefits include payment of a professional subscription, Free yearly eye tests plus a contribution towards glasses for VDU use.

You can find out more about Colchester Borough Homes by visiting: www.cbhomes.org.uk .

If you wish to discuss the post further, please contact Louise Johnson, Housing Solutions Team Leader on 01206 282728 or Housing Solutions and Accommodation Manager, Syed Rizvi on 01206 506821.

Recruitment, Selection and Interview Process

Interviews are provisionally scheduled to take place during the week commencing 19 October 2026.

The selection process will consist of:

• A timed written assessment (1 hour total)
  • Exercise 1: 20 minutes
  • Exercise 2: 40 minutes
• A 30-minute competency-based interview

Further details regarding the assessment and interview arrangements will be provided in advance.

Equality & Diversity Commitment

Colchester Borough Homes are an equal opportunities employer. As part of our continued commitment to Equality and Diversity, and our workforce accurately reflecting the community we represent, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, and applicants who have status as an individual with a physical or mental disability. We are a Disability Confident Employer and a Mindful Employer. We also hold accreditations for Working Well, Investors in People Gold status and the Armed Forces Covenant.