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| Lyndsey Cullingham, housing officer with
Anglia Housing Group |
Housing officer
Answers supplied by Lyndsey Cullingham, housing officer
with Anglia Housing Group which comprises five housing associations,
two of which are charitable organisations, that share the
aim of promoting community wellbeing through the provision
of affordable housing and caring services.
What does the job entail?
The role is very diverse, one day you could be dealing with
a neighbour nuisance problem, the next you could be part of
the process that changes someone's life by re-housing them
after they have lived in bed and breakfast accommodation.
The job includes the day to day management of designated properties
in a defined geographical area, allocating properties, minimising
rent arrears, resolving rent and debt issues as well as offering
welfare benefit advice. You will be managing empty properties
and re-letting them to homeless applicants and also looking
after housing estates, including both properties and the local
area and amenities. You will need to work with a variety of
voluntary or statutory agencies and the job could also involve
some Court work, for example taking tenants to court for a
breach of tenancy issues from rent arrears, nuisance, noise
or harassment.
What skills and qualifications are
needed?
You need a minimum of five GCSEs. A professional qualification
in housing, such as a housing diploma, is be an advantage,
as is related work experience in a similar field. You could
also be working towards a relevant qualification. A degree
of computer literacy is an advantage and also some experience
of working with the public.
What type of person will fit in?
Someone who is self motivated and confident to manage a variety
of situations. A caring team player with excellent interpersonal
skills and the ability to work under pressure and to specific
targets.
What are the pluses and minuses
of the job?
On the plus side it is a diverse role as each day is different
and you meet a variety of people through networking with other
agencies. The hours are regular Monday to Friday and it is
rewarding with plenty of personal satisfaction from helping
customers. However, on the minus side the role can be stressful
and demanding. You have to be prepared to deal with all sorts
of queries from people in housing or waiting to be housed
and some people can be quite hostile. Sometimes things can
get frustrating, for example anti-social behaviour cases that
take a lot of time and effort to resolve.
What opportunities exist for career
progression?
There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career
or to diversify into other related fields, such as community
development and you can work up the career ladder quite quickly.
Once in an organisation there is sometimes the chance to be
seconded to another area for a temporary post to gain experience
in another field, this can open up a whole new set of prospects
if you enjoy the secondment. However it can sometimes be difficult
to progress without professional qualifications or experience.
What can I expect to earn?
There isn't a great deal of regional variation in salary and
you can normally expect to earn between £16,000 to £20,000
per year.
Any hints on getting a job in this
area?
There are various housing providers in the area, including
local councils, housing charities and housing associations.
Vacancies can be found in the local paper or on the internet.
Experience within a related field whether voluntary or statutory
would help and specific experience through the housing diploma
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