Housing Options Officer

Location: Hertfordshire
Contract: Temporary
Duration: 6 months
Working Pattern: 2x days per week on site
Rate: Competitive

The Role

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Housing Options Officer to join a busy Housing Options and Homelessness team within a Hertfordshire local authority.

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing high-quality housing advice and assistance to households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, with a strong focus on homelessness prevention, statutory decision-making and securing sustainable housing solutions.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Housing Options professional who can hit the ground running and manage a busy caseload with minimal supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake homelessness assessments and provide advice in accordance with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.
• Conduct S184 investigations and make robust statutory decisions regarding homelessness applications.
• Assess and determine eligibility, priority need, intentionality and local connection.
• Work proactively to prevent and relieve homelessness through effective case management and early intervention.
• Develop Personalised Housing Plans (PHPs) and work collaboratively with applicants to identify realistic housing solutions.
• Explore all available housing options, including social housing, private rented accommodation, supported accommodation and temporary accommodation.
• Make appropriate temporary accommodation placements and ensure accommodation remains suitable.
• Liaise with landlords, letting agents, housing associations and other external agencies to secure accommodation.
• Provide clear and accurate housing advice to vulnerable households.
• Manage a varied and potentially complex caseload, ensuring cases are progressed within statutory timescales.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive case records and ensure all decisions are fully evidenced.
• Work closely with internal departments and partner agencies, including Social Services, Adult Services, Benefits and Housing Management.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and make appropriate referrals where required.
• Deal with reviews, complaints and challenging cases where necessary.

Essential Experience

• Previous experience working as a Housing Options Officer, Homelessness Officer, Housing Needs Officer or similar within a local authority.
• Strong working knowledge of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and Housing Act 1996 Part VII.
• Proven experience undertaking S184 homelessness assessments and decision-making.
• Experience managing a busy homelessness caseload.
• Strong understanding of prevention and relief duties.
• Experience producing Personalised Housing Plans and working towards sustainable outcomes.
• Knowledge of temporary accommodation and suitability.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work effectively with vulnerable and complex households.
• Strong written skills, particularly when producing statutory decisions and casework documentation.

Desirable

• Experience working within a Hertfordshire local authority or knowledge of the local housing market.
• Experience using a local authority housing/homelessness case management system.
• Knowledge of HCLIC returns and homelessness data requirements/Locata.
• Experience working with households presenting with complex needs, safeguarding concerns or support requirements.

The Ideal Candidate

We’re looking for someone who is confident, knowledgeable and solutions-focused, with the ability to manage a demanding caseload while maintaining high standards of customer service.

You’ll need to be comfortable making statutory decisions, challenging information where appropriate and having difficult conversations with applicants, while still taking a person-centred and preventative approach.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced Housing Options Officer looking for their next interim assignment within Hertfordshire.