Job Details
Royal Borough Of Kensington And Chelsea are resourcing a new role for an accommodation officer to support the Accommodation Solutions Team Managers in securing the continuous development, improvement, efficiency and success of the Temporary Accommodation and Resettlement team as a whole. To provide housing options advice to households in temporary accommodation and promote effective move-on to other permanent housing, including intermediate rent, private rented and social housing.
- Follow policy and procedures to successfully place singles persons and families into suitable accommodation
- To make the most appropriate, equitable and cost-effective use of available resources, ensuring that all lettings comply with statutory requirements and the Council’s policies
- Undertake assessments of suitability when offering accommodation
- Organise and/or facilitate with storage of goods and removals when necessary
- Assist with the management of the team’s telephone lines and email inboxes and respond to customer queries regarding their accommodation.
- Liaise with the Procurement and Contract Management Team to ensure the most suitable available property is offered to the applicant
- Complete housing benefit forms and other forms as required
- Refer households for floating support when the need for assistance is identified
- Collect medical documents from the customer to appropriately refer an applicant for a medical review
- Respond to requests for emergency transfers
- To visit households in temporary accommodation to provide them with advice and guidance on the full range of housing options available to them and manage their expectations, taking into account their needs and aspirations, their priority on the Housing Register and ability to sustain other options, including intermediate housing options and private rented accommodation.
- To monitor biding activity across households in temporary accommodation and offer support to those households who require assistance, in order to help them make informed choices about their future housing.
- To signpost and refer households in temporary accommodation to other agencies as required, including employment and training providers, supported housing services, children’s services or adult care.
- To encourage and help homeless households in temporary accommodation to comply with their licence or tenancy conditions, but where there is a serious breach of duty (including harassment, anti-social behaviour and hate crime) and/or the Council has discharged its homelessness duty, ensure the accommodation is withdrawn and recovered as efficiently and quickly as possible.
- To promote effective use of the temporary accommodation budget by regularly reviewing move on from emergency to settled temporary accommodation and investigating the reasons for long stays in high-cost emergency accommodation.
- To support the development and implementation of temporary accommodation tenancy checks, investigate cases where there is concern that temporary accommodation has been abandoned, sub-let or misused and, where appropriate, take action to discharge the Council’s homelessness duty.
- Close accounts where necessary and organise key returns
- Issue Notice to Quits when appropriate and liaise with the Council’s Legal Team where necessary
- Liaise with Social Services if household needs support or if no further duties are owed.
- To reply promptly to enquiries and complaints from customers and their advocates, including elected members, MPs and ombudsman cases in line with the Council’s procedure and attend court where required.
- To contribute to the development of policy, procedures and practice, and to the achievement of the departments aims, objectives and targets.
- To develop and maintain a positive relationship with clients, council officers, housing providers, advocates, elected members and other stakeholders to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction are achieved.
- To create and maintain accurate records of the service to ensure compliance with reporting arrangements and provide management with the information required to monitor performance and service standards in accordance with Council’s policies and the legal framework. This will include producing writing performance and other written reports for managers in the Housing Needs Service as requested.
- To understand the value of information to the council and to contribute to good information governance by keeping information safe, accurate and up to date and available to those who need it. The post holder must abide by the council’s information governance policies.
- To participate in appropriate projects relevant to the role of the team within and outside the section as appropriate.
Payrate: £24.92 umbrella
