Senior Caseworker and Reviews Officer

London Borough of Hounslow; City Of London; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local council in London is seeking a knowledgeable Housing Officer to oversee statutory reviews and address homelessness issues, requiring deep understanding of housing law and excellent communication skills. The role demands expertise in managing statutory housing compliance and leading appeals related to housing decisions. Ideal candidates will have a strong background in housing legislation and experience working with diverse clients. Opportunities for professional growth and training are provided.

Benefits

Employee benefits including professional development

Diversity and inclusion initiatives

Qualifications

• Extensive experience working with vulnerable populations.
• Knowledge of housing law and homelessness legislation.
• Ability to handle legal challenges and compliance responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Implement statutory reviews regarding homelessness decisions.
• Conduct inquiries under housing legislation.
• Lead appeals and provide supporting documentation.
• Support housing compliance across strategies and policies.

Skills

Housing Act 1996 knowledge

Homelessness legislation expertise

Statutory decision-making

Expert communication skills

Education

Degree in Law or equivalent

Job description

Overview

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Please apply online via the link provided.

Job description

About us at Hounslow

We'd love you to join us at the London Borough of Hounslow! Our people are deeply committed to providing excellent services to our residents, doing all we can to make lives as good as they can be.

We are an outstanding council, serving an outstanding borough. With brilliant, visionary leadership, a dynamic Cabinet and a can-do culture, we've built strong partnerships which have transformed how we serve one of London's most diverse boroughs. Hounslow is the world in one place and full of potential. We are stepping up for our residents like never before.

About our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We live by five core values: Lead with Heart, Do New, Pass on the Power, Harness the Mix and Be a Rock. All our work has equality, diversity and inclusion at its very heart, best articulated in "Harness the Mix". It's about breaking down barriers between our parts and people and unlocking the problem-solving power of our amazing mix of minds. We serve a diverse community, we have a diverse workforce and we are committed to being an inclusive employer.

We work hard to create representation across our workforce and leadership community, we have thriving employee network groups and our learning and development programmes help us lead, model and breathe ways of working that eliminate inequality, inequity, injustice and bias.

As part of this and under our commitments as a Disability Confident Employer, we make reasonable adjustments to accommodate our candidates. There's space for you to tell us what you need within our application form.

Our Benefits

If you join us, you'll have access to a range of employee benefits. Read more about these here.

About The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Homelessness, Independence and Preventative Service which adopts a preventative approach across the housing, health and social care agendas. Your primary focus will be on the statutory independent reviews function following homelessness decisions and housing allocations, ensuring that decisions are consistent with the Council's legal responsibilities.

About The Team You'll Be Working In

This is an exciting and busy role that is at the centre of the Councils response to homelessness. The service is developing and progressing our agenda to reduce the use of temporary accommodation and achieve more upstream prevention outcomes.

1. You will implement the statutory reviews provisions of homelessness and allocations legislation, taking account of relevant Codes of Guidance, case law and policy. The post holder will require comprehensive and expert knowledge of housing functions and related law and statutory guidance, sufficient to handle legal challenges.
2. You will carry out thorough enquiries and investigations of complaints, reviews and legal challenges under Parts 6 and 7 of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended), ensuring that decisions made are fully compliant with relevant legislation, up to date case law and policy, and are issued within targets and statutory timeframes.
3. You will lead on section 204 (Housing Act) appeals against the council's (section 202) review decisions, working with solicitors and providing instructions as necessary.
4. To support the service on a full range of statutory housing compliance responsibilities relating to strategy, tenure blind tenancy placements and policy and procedures across housing.

About You

You have extensive knowledge and experience of the Housing Act 1996 (as amended) and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, working with vulnerable people, and experience of leading multi-disciplinary housing teams and work involving complex needs and diverse client groups and an expert knowledge of homelessness and associated legislation.

• You have extensive experience in dealing with statutory decisions, and expert knowledge of housing case law, homelessness legislation, private sector tenancy law and good practice, including:

• a. The Housing Act 1996, including amendments made by the Homelessness Act 2002, the Localism Act 2012 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017;
• b. Landlord and Tenant Law, for example, the Housing Act 1985 and the Prevention from Eviction Act 1977;
• c. The Welfare Reform Act 2012 and DWP guidance on personal benefits and housing related benefits;
• d. Statutory requirements in relation to allocations on social housing and Local Authority Allocations Policies.

• You have an expert working knowledge and understanding of current housing law, such as the Housing Act 1996, Parts VI and VII, Homelessness Act 2002, Localism Act 2012, Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and immigration law as it applies to housing eligibility, relevant code of guidance and case law.

• You have a working knowledge of legislation associated with homelessness investigations and housing allocations, including, Family Law Act 1996, Children Acts 1989 and 2004, Human Rights Act 1998, Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, Community Care Act 2000 and the Care Act 2014.

• You are an expert communicator who engages effectively with a broad range of people, including applicants, colleagues, and elected members, to motivate, influence, negotiate and persuade and achieve multi-disciplinary outcomes to meet wide ranging needs.

• It is desirable that you have a degree or equivalent qualifications (preferably a law degree).

• Basic DBS check is requried for the role.

If the points above resonate with you, we would like to hear from you.

Please read more about the work you'll be doing in the Role Profile.

When Interviews Will Be Held And Who To Contact

The key information you need about the role should be in the role profile but if you have any further questions about the role, please contact:

Email: [e-mail]

Interviews for this job will be held during November 2025.

Salary range

• £45,750 - £49,056 per year