Housing officer

Housing officers look after rented properties for local authorities and housing associations.

Also known as: Tenancy officer, neighbourhood housing officer

• Starter salary£23,000 a year
• Experienced£35,000 a year
• Typical hours37 to 4 a week

What you'll do

As a housing officer, you could:

• assess the needs of people applying for housing
• allocate property to tenants and explain tenancy rules
• inspect properties and organise maintenance and repairs
• support tenants with rent payments and arrears
• refer people for advice about benefits and welfare
• prepare reports based on housing data and feedback
• work with tenants' groups
• deal with anti-social behaviour and breaches of tenancy agreements
• work with other agencies like social services

Working environment

You could work at a client's home or in an office.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• customer service skills
• administration skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• maths skills
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

How to become a housing officer

You can get into this job through:

• a university course
• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• working towards this role
• an organisation's trainee scheme

University

You could complete a foundation degree or degree in:

• housing studies
• social policy
• building surveying

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
• 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You can do a college course, which would give you some of the skills needed to get a trainee position. Courses include:

• housing practice
• business administration
• T Level in Management and Administration

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a housing organisation or local authority housing department.

These include:

• Housing Property Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Housing and Property Management Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
• Senior Housing and Property Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

You could also apply for a place on a Policy Officer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, if you want to work in a policy development role.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Work

You may be able to start as a housing or admin assistant and work your way up. You could do this through on-the-job training leading to a qualification like the Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, offered by the Chartered Institute of Housing .

Volunteering

You may find it useful to get some work experience with a housing charity, local tenants' association or community organisation. This could help when you apply for housing officer jobs.

You can search for voluntary opportunities in your area through Do it and The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) .

Other routes

You may be able to apply to a local authority or housing association for a place on a graduate training scheme, like the GEM programme . This is open to graduates of any subject and non graduates who are already working in housing.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass background checks

Career path and progression

With experience and training you could specialise in an area of housing like homelessness, sheltered accommodation or anti-social behaviour. You might also become a senior housing officer or manager.

You could also move into policy development, working on strategies to improve the supply and access to social housing.

Career tips

You could work for a local authority, a housing association or a charity like Shelter . You could also work for a university student accommodation service or property company.

Guides for this industry

• Administration: pay, interviews and getting started →

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0