Landlord Support Officer - Req24189

As a Landlord Support Officer, you’ll thrive on building meaningful partnerships with key stake holders across the city to maximise homeless prevention. 

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Landlord Support Officer, you will bring to the role:

• The ability to communicate effectively with landlords, customers, colleagues, elected members, and all other partners.
• Experience of supervising colleagues 
• Able to make objective decisions in the interests of achieving local priorities.
• Experience of working to deadlines and adapting to competing priorities.
• Able to show empathy, act tactfully and sympathetically with customers and landlords over a range of issues. 

About the role 

As our next Landlord Support Officer, you’ll build meaningful and lasting partnerships with the housing providers across the city. This will enable you to support tenants at the risk of homelessness at a much earlier stage. With the aim of removing the need for the accommodation provider to serve an eviction notice. 

You will be able to find creative solutions to tackle the main causes of homelessness such as landlord and tenant dispute, rent arrears, and anti-social behaviour. You will use your excellent communication skills to build relationships with internal and external partners to support with tenancy sustainment, with a keen focus on maximising a household’s income to ensure their priority outgoings are satisfied.

You will be able to share your knowledge with the wider service and contribute to the training and development of new and existing staff members. While also focusing on your own development, with the opportunity to line manage a member of staff. 

The role is integral to Housing Options, as it enables us to build positive relationships with key stake holders across the city. Whilst ensuring we are supporting those most at risk of been affected by homelessness at a much earlier stage. This work has a direct impact on reducing the number of customers accessing the service at crisis point and removing the need for emergency accommodation.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Select the correct application method and delete the other:

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. 

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Camerron Calvert, Housing Procurement and Partnership Officer, Camerron.calvert@leeds.gov.uk. 

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an age-friendly employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.
 
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job purpose: The Landlord Support Officer is a generic post associated primarily with supporting landlords who have provided properties through the Private Sector Lettings Scheme within Leeds Housing Options.  The post holder will be responsible for delivering an effective support service to landlords, whilst maximising early intervention and prevention opportunities to households who have a housing need. 

Additional main duties will include actively developing landlord and tenant relationships through a variety of different approaches, particularly through the implementation of a new landlord initiative which encourages the resolution of tenancy issues within a housing team focused upon helping to deliver the Councils strategic outcomes, through specialist delivery mechanisms.  The post holder will be expected to carry out more complex duties, provide support and, depending on team needs, supervisory support.

Responsibilities 

• Play a pivotal role in identifying prevention and early intervention opportunities.
• Ensuring the implementation, recording, monitoring and distribution of dedicated and effective prevention work with the Private Rented Scheme at its core. 
• To be responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with landlords. 
• To work closely with The Department of Working Pensions (DWP) and Leeds Benefit Service to enhance Landlord Support. 
• Investigate and resolve any financial claims made against the scheme by landlords.
• Oversee a new early intervention programme where landlords can contact us before serving tenant’s an eviction notice. 
• To be responsible for the achievement of performance targets around tenancy sustainment in Private Sector Lets through the Scheme.
• To deal with all tenancy issues and work with other agencies to help create safe and sustainable tenancies.
• Supervise and manage staff as required.
• Provide appropriate advice and support to customers and landlords in line with The Homelessness Reduction Act. 
• To ensure the Councils safeguarding procedures are followed where appropriate.
• To actively develop and promote landlord and tenant relationships through a variety of different approaches.
• To work with partner services, elected members and local communities to deliver and develop services and improvements in a defined area.
• To work within Council policies and procedures including data protection and financial regulations.
• To ensure the Council’s health and safety policies and legal requirements are adhered to.
• To contribute to the development, review and improvement of policies and strategies in line with current legislation and best practice. 
• To support the achievement of equality and diversity in both employment and service delivery including the promotion of equality of opportunity.
• Promote and deliver the priorities, values and objectives of Leeds City Council at all times
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills Required

• To be able to communicate effectively with landlords, customers, colleagues, elected members and all other partners.
• Able to supervise and manage colleagues.
• Able to use a wide range of communication tools appropriate to the customers/landlords preferred method.
• Able to show empathy, act tactfully and sympathetically with customers and landlords over a range of issues.
• Able to manage competing demands and priorities to meet deadlines.
• Able to make objective decisions in the interests of achieving local priorities.
• Able to input, maintain and retrieve information accurately from a variety of sources. 
• Able to objectively investigate and clearly report (in writing or verbally) on a range of issues.
• To work within budgets.
• Able to adapt behaviours to achieve positive outcomes.

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of the ever changing landscape with the Private Sector.               
• Knowledge of current housing issues, legislation, policies and local strategies and initiatives.
• Awareness of landlord engagement opportunities, enabling landlords to help design and evaluate services.
• A good understanding of equality issues in the day to day delivery of services.
• Knowledge of welfare reform and how this can impact on private rented tenancies.
• An awareness of support networks on offer to people struggling in Private Rented tenancies.

Experience Required

• Experience of working with other agencies to achieve positive outcomes for customers and landlords.
• Experience of responding and resolving to a broad range of enquiries.
• Experience of the working with the public.
• Experience of working to deadlines and adapting to competing priorities.
• Experience of achieving outcomes in a busy team environment.
• Experience of working effectively with a wide range of computer software packages.
• Experience of supervising colleagues.
• Experience of working within a homelessness service.

Essential Behavioural and other Characteristics 

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities. 
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. 
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council. 
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.