Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Team Leader

Job Category : Housing

Location : Laurence House – Fifth Floor, Lewisham Council

Hours Per Week : 35.00

Start Date : Immediate Start

Start Time : 09:00

End Time : 17:00

Salary: £26.10

The temporary Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Team Leader will manage a team of six Accommodation Assessment & Lettings Officers. The duties of the team are as follows: • Offer accommodation for S188 and S193 duties • Offer suitable accommodation for applicants on the transfer list • Offer suitable accommodation for urgent moves • Complete S208 notifications for out of borough placements • Complete discharge of duty for refusal of suitable accommodation • Complete final notification tasks • Work with applicant and Housing providers to resolve accommodation issues • Complete suitability assessments for HAP applicants, hand backs and urgent on the day moves • Undertake nomination tasks ensuring applicants are matched to suitable accommodation daily • Identify applicants to be nominated for current voids and update Voids MS Teams spreadsheet • Open and close rent accounts on HMS • Complete cancellations of bookings for refusals and moves • Complete Housing Benefit Forms with applicants • Complete MASH referrals • Record data accurately for IBAA and Nightly paid accommodations • Match single nightly paid applicants to less costly accommodations • Refer suitable PRS applicants to the Accommodation and Supply team for possible PRS offers • Answer 80% of all calls presented • Answer all emails within 48hrs

Main Purpose of the job:

To manage a team of frontline officers who arrange emergency and temporary accommodation placements and appropriate referrals into supported accommodation, ensuring all placements and referrals are carried out in a timely manner, making the best use of all available housing stock at all times.

Arrange emergency accommodation on behalf of other Council services, including Children’s Social Services and Adult Social Care.

Co-ordinate available properties in the private rented sector and in conjunction with Housing Caseworkers and the Tenancy Management and Resettlement Officers identify highest priority households to be put forward for Direct Lets to prevent and relieve homelessness.

To ensure high quality offers, suitability and discharge of duty decisions are made in a timely manner relating to offers of properties (temporary accommodation & private rented properties) and that staff work proactively to find an appropriate housing solution to bring the Council’s ‘relief’/ full housing duty to an end

Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidelines so that accommodation is allocated based on need and all offers of accommodation are suitable.

Proactively contribute to the council’s action plan to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation by monitoring and maximising move on opportunities from temporary accommodation and supported housing.

Knowledge

Excellent knowledge and detailed understanding of Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other relevant housing and homelessness legislation, case law and guidance S

Knowledge of Landlord and Tenant Legislation, the Housing Act 1985 and Protection from Eviction Act 1977 S

Suitability and affordability assessments for accommodation provided under homelessness provisions S

Up to date knowledge of the welfare benefit system and its application-

The Housing Health and Safety Rating System

Comprehensive knowledge and experience of homelessness decision making, accommodation duties and statutory reviews within a local authority setting

A good understanding of budgetary control

Aptitude

Ability to maintain databases and work effectively with IT systems Aptitude for working creatively and acting on own initiative.

Ability to identify business risks at an early stage, alerting appropriate managers and developing possible solutions.

Ability to prioritise competing demands in a pressurised environment, recognize service priorities and manage a high workload within agreed targets.

Ability to meet performance targets and deliver positive outcomes.

Ability to take a proactive role in reviewing and developing working practices in order to continually improve service delivery.

Aptitude for utilising new technology to help develop the service.

Able to prepare and present reports and to analyse statistical information

Skills

(Skills can only be used as shortlisting criteria if the skill is to be tested) (To Be Tested – S)

Strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate verbally and in writing and build trust mutually respectful relationships with a range of audiences, including Councillors, residents, stakeholders and commissioners, including the ability to write clear and concise reports.

Strong negotiation, advocacy and influential skills to effectively implement system change, imbed new and complex initiatives and build and maintain wide networks internally within the council and externally with partner agencies and the voluntary sector.

Ability to deliver excellent customer care and adapt behaviour of self and team to support residents in a timely way and respond effectively to challenging behaviour.

Ability to collect and analyse data and critically reflect on work practices to improve services, using new technologies to improve services delivery and accessibility.

Ability to motivate and develop staff, effectively manage and support staff through change, provide welfare support to staff covering frontline work and inspire team work and a collaborative culture with internal and external colleagues.

Strong analytical and numeracy skills to carry our complex housing and financial assessments and the ability to make difficult and contentious decisions on a range issues.

Experience

Proven experience of designing and implementing robust and efficient business processes that have delivered tangibly improved services and dramatically improved efficiency.

Proven experience of reviewing performance and service levels, using performance management techniques to drive service delivery and improvements, implementing robust plans to ensure excellent service delivery is maintained, responding to, and escalating, quality assurance concerns.

Proven experience of staff management, delivering and leading change and transformation across a multi-disciplinary team, and developing staff to meet their full potential. S

Proven excellent communication, mediation skills dealing with landlords and prospective tenants particularly those who may have disabilities or are vulnerable

Advanced knowledge and experience of using Microsoft packages, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint packages.

Good knowledge of budget management and delivering services within budget.

General Education

Good standard of education to include Maths and English GCSE Grade C and above or equivalent experience.

Evidence of relevant continuing professional development