Housing Needs Officer

Slough


Job Role

To deliver a high quality and customer focussed housing needs service, including housing advice and homelessness services.

To use every available resource to tackle housing need and prevent homelessness in accordance to relevant legislation, policies and procedures. To contribute to the development, cohesion and integration of the wider housing service.


Key Accountabilities

Deliver a comprehensive, customer focussed and high quality housing needs service, liaising with other sections, departments and agencies internally and externally in relation to housing or homelessness issues on behalf of home seekers.

Working proactively using initiative and knowledge to apply appropriate options to tackle housing need ensuring that the council's resources, including financial resources, are appropriately used according to the needs of the home seeker, enabling them to achieve sustainable and affordable solutions to their housing needs.

Provide good quality advice to all, including, public, tenants, licensees, landlords etc, regarding their legal rights and available options related to their housing using a holistic approach. This will include analysing complex information and relaying this information appropriately to the customer, including legal advice on housing, immigration and benefit legislation.

Identify and respond proactively to every customer who may be at risk of homelessness and find the most effective means to prevent and tackle homelessness, fulfilling the Council's duties under housing, homelessness, and any other relevant legislation.

Identify and provide positive, effective and often complex legal and housing advice, and information to home seekers about their rights and options, in compliance with the Landlords & Tenants Act, Protection from Eviction Act, Housing and Homelessness Acts, and other related legislation. This will include immigration and benefits legislation.