Full Time, Permanent
Bristol currently has on average 1400 privately owned empty properties. The City Council's Private Housing Service sets out to maintain and improve housing conditions in this sector. The Service has a dedicated Empty Properties Unit focusing on bringing privately owned residential properties back into use. Empty properties remove a valuable source of housing from our community and can often have a negative effect on adjacent properties and the surrounding area by suffering from disrepair, overgrowth, rubbish accumulation, pests, and nuisance.
A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Private Housing Caseworker to join our award-winning Empty Property Unit. Would you like to work in one of the largest Private Housing Services in the country, and contribute to bringing empty properties back into use?
We Are Looking For Someone With Great Interpersonal And Investigative Skills, Who Can Work With a Positive Attitude And Passion To Ensure Great Customer Service And Service Delivery. You Will Be Working Alongside Environmental Health Housing Officers, Other Private Housing Caseworkers And Housing Officers. Some Of The Work You Will Be Involved With Include:
1. Providing advice to property owners and the public regarding empty properties, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation.
2. Carrying out in-depth investigative work to help bring long-term empty residential properties back into use, supporting the achievement of corporate targets and contributing to the availability of quality housing in the city.
3. Addressing nuisance and public health complaints to minimise any negative impact on neighbours and the surrounding community.
4. Maintaining detailed and up-to-date case records, ensuring efficient progress tracking for individual cases and projects.
5. Carrying out citywide co-ordination functions associated with the specific work area, e.g. newsletter or leaflet production, updating of web pages, development and maintenance of lists and databases (e.g. cases, contractors, empty property council tax lists), as required.
There may also be opportunities to work in other areas of the Private Housing Service.
You Must Have:
1. A degree level qualification and some significant experience working in housing, a meaningful proportion of which should be in the private housing sector; or
2. A relevant HND/BTEC or equivalent in (Housing, Environmental Health, Surveying, etc.) and some significant experience working in housing, a meaningful proportion of which should be in the private housing sector; or
3. Substantial experience working in housing, a meaningful proportion of which should be in the private housing sector.
And:
1. Experience of providing direct frontline services to the public.
2. A good knowledge and understanding of issues related to the quality, safety and accessibility of owner occupied or private rented housing.
3. A basic knowledge of the legislation and regulations which apply to the private housing sector.
4. For full list of essential criteria for the role, please refer to Person Specification.
For permanent appointments, a competence-based grading system is currently in place for Private Housing Caseworkers to develop your career and progress within the service to an Environmental Health Housing Officer Level 2 (BG11 £38,626 - £40,476), or Senior Environmental Health Housing Officer (BG12 £41,511 – £44,711)), through the completion of assessed competencies. Further details can be provided at interview.
The service is what was traditionally known as Environmental Health Housing. This position, therefore, would be suited to someone completing an Environmental Health degree or equivalent, and is looking to train as an Environmental Health Housing officer.
We have a hybrid working model. Currently this post can be delivered by homeworking most of the time. However, site inspections within the Bristol boundaries are part of this role. You will also be expected to travel to our Bristol office regularly as the service requires. You are also welcome to come into the office more often if you wish. Flexible working time is also available for this role.
Why Bristol City Council?
At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.
Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.
Our main office is modern and centrally located close to transport links (rail, bus and cycle hubs), although we are currently primarily home-based, with four-weekly office team days.
How do I apply?
To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.
We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.
For any queries, please contact Shona Ali (Private Housing Manager) or Becky Harman (Private Housing Team Leader)
At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit. #J-18808-Ljbffr