Tenancy Support Officer

East Suffolk Council; Lowestoft; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in the UK is seeking a Tenancy Support Officer to support customers and landlords under a new rent guarantee scheme. The role involves assessing tenants at risk of arrears and delivering effective support services. Successful candidates will have knowledge of housing standards and communication skills. This fixed-term role offers competitive pay and benefits including generous leave and a local government pension scheme.

Benefits

Generous leave entitlement

Local government pension scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Learning and development opportunities

Staff support networks

Qualifications

• Knowledge and understanding of housing standards and legislation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers and staff.
• Use initiative to organise workload with conflicting demands.

Responsibilities

• Deliver support to customers and landlords in accordance with the rent guarantee scheme.
• Identify tenants at risk of rent arrears through assessments.
• Assist in tenancy sustainment and training.

Skills

Knowledge of housing standards

Understanding of welfare benefits legislation

Effective communication at all levels

Ability to organise workload

Experience with the Homeless Reduction Act

Job description

• East Suffolk Council - Lowestoft NR33 0EQ or Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1RT
• £28,598 - £31,022 per annum
• 37 hours per week
• Fixed Term Contract for 1 year (maternity cover)

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.

Launched in 2024, East Suffolk Lettings (ESL) utilises a new Rent Guarantee scheme to work closely & proactively with private rented sector landlords.

We currently have an opportunity for a Tenancy Support Officer to join our ESL team.

Your role

Working as a key member of the East Suffolk Lettings team, the Tenancy Support Officer will be an integral part in delivering efficient and effective tenancy sustainment and support to customers and participating landlords, in conjunction with the Council's rent guarantee scheme.

You will work alongside other colleagues, partners and other Council services to identify tenants who are at risk of rent arrears and/or financial exclusion, by providing appropriate support, advice and assistance during interviews and home visits, based on informed and up‑to‑date affordability assessments.

What you will need

You will have a knowledge and understanding of housing standards, welfare benefits legislation, housing and homelessness legislation, private sector market and tenancy sustainment. You will need to use your own initiative to organise workload with conflicting demands and have the ability to communicate effectively at all levels, including customers, complainants, managers and staff.

The desirable candidate will have previous experience of working with the Homeless Reduction Act duties and placing vulnerable individuals in the private rented sector along with delivering tenancy training.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don't meet all of the essential requirements, please apply.

We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Why work for us?

East Suffolk Council is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access. To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council, take a look at our video and hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work (youtube.com).

Here are some of the main benefits:

• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays)
• Local government pension scheme
• Flexible working arrangements
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.
• Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services.

Find more information about what we offer in our benefits brochure (pdf).

The majority of our teams are working in an agile way, with a mixture of home and office working, depending on individual preferences and service requirements. If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate, please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.

For more information

For an informal discussion regarding this post, please contact Thomas Harvey on 07500760378.

Closing date

Midnight Sunday 23 November

Interview date

Friday 5 December

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job Description and Person Specification (doc).

Step 2 - Complete the Supporting Statement template (docx). Your statement needs to indicate how you meet each of the criteria contained within the Person Specification. Please use the template provided (other formats will not be accepted).

Step 3 - Complete the online application and upload your statement. Please note, CVs are not accepted.

For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our Career Site (URL).

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to people's lives, delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.

We hugely value our staff and know that in order for us to remain successful, it is essential for us to recognise talented employees, developing and retaining them within the organisation. We are therefore committed to investing in our staff and providing first‑class support to ensure a positive culture and rewarding careers.

To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council and to hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work, take a look at our video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSWedQksWt0