Interim HMO Licensing & Enforcement Lead

Sharper Consulting Services; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharper Consulting Services seeks an experienced interim Team Leader to head HMO Licensing and Enforcement for a South West local authority. You will lead casework, clear licence backlogs and supervise EHOs and Licensing Officers.

You will apply your hands-on HMO licensing knowledge and Housing Act 2004 expertise to drive inspections, notices, penalties, and cross‑team collaboration. This role requires proven leadership in a council setting.

Qualifications

• Local authority background in Private Sector Housing, Environmental Health, or Housing Standards.
• Hands-on HMO Licensing experience (Mandatory, Additional, Selective).
• Practical HMO enforcement experience — notices, prosecutions, civil penalties.
• Solid working knowledge of the Housing Act 2004, HMO Management Regulations, HHSRS.
• Team leadership/supervisory experience.
• A track record of clearing backlogs.
• Confidence with case management and evidence gathering for enforcement.

Responsibilities

• Leading the HMO Licensing and Enforcement function.
• Processing HMO applications — Mandatory, Additional, and Selective Licensing.
• Managing and reducing backlogs of licence applications and inspections.
• Carrying out and overseeing HMO inspections (HHSRS).
• Assessing property conditions, amenity standards, and management arrangements.
• Reviewing and serving enforcement notices — Improvement Notices, Prohibition Orders, licence condition breaches.
• Tackling non-compliance — unlicensed HMOs, rogue landlords, licence breaches.
• Processing Civil Penalty Notices under the Housing Act 2004.
• Managing prosecution files and evidence for serious cases.
• Leading and supporting a team of EHOs / Housing Enforcement Officers / Licensing Officers.
• Allocating casework and managing team performance.
• Liaising with the council's Planning Enforcement/Envirocrime function on cross-over cases.
• Handling landlord, tenant, and member enquiries.
• Reporting casework status and performance to management.

Skills

HMO licensing

Team leadership

Case management

Enforcement action

Housing standards

Backlog clearance

Evidence gathering

Liaison with Planning/Envirocrime

Job description

Sharper Consulting Services seeks an experienced interim Team Leader to head HMO Licensing and Enforcement for a South West local authority. You will lead casework, clear licence backlogs and supervise EHOs and Licensing Officers.

You will apply your hands-on HMO licensing knowledge and Housing Act 2004 expertise to drive inspections, notices, penalties, and cross‑team collaboration. This role requires proven leadership in a council setting.