Role: Neighbourhood Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

ROLE: NEIGHBOURHOOD OFFICER

DEPARTMENT: HOUSING

REPORTING TO: NEIGHBOURHOOD MANAGER

SUPERVISING: N/A

GRADE: E

The context of this job

Octavia Housing provides affordable homes in the heart of London. We develop, manage and maintain properties and provide a range of specialist support services to meet the diverse needs of our tenants. Our aim is to provide a service which is professional, personal, effective and caring.

The Housing Management team is responsible for the provision of an effective and responsive service to current and prospective tenants of the association.

The purpose of this post

. To provide an excellent customer focused service for all Octavia tenants ensuring that housing estates and properties are well managed and the environment is well maintained, and working proactively and closely with tenants and other agencies to address environmental and neighbourhood issues ensuring tenancies are sustained.

. To develop local knowledge of the communities and neighbourhoods in which Octavia operates and establish partnerships to meet the needs of tenants and the community.

. To proactively liaise with customers to ascertain their views on services and to put forward suggestions for Octavia to respond to those views.

. To identify, manage and resolve all instances of nuisance, harassment and anti-social behaviour.

What is the focus?:

 Improving Octavia Housing’s performance

 Building on existing skills and developing new skills

 Working closely with team colleagues to enable excellent customer service

 Through neighbourhood management meeting the needs of our tenants

Key tasks

of 4 Tenancy Services

1 To develop local knowledge of the communities and neighbourhoods in which Octavia operates. To establish regular communication with tenants to keep them informed of Octavia’s response to issues of concern.

2 Through close and regular contact with tenants, identify and assist vulnerable tenants, referring them on to Octavia’s Floating Support Service, Housing Caseworker or other relevant agencies and monitoring these services to enable the tenant to sustain their tenancy.

3 Manage the housing management responsibilities of the void process, minimising the time a property is void whilst ensuring a customer focused letting service.

4 Sign up new tenants, ensuring they are familiar with the terms of the Tenancy Agreement and of the services provided by Octavia.

5 Respond promptly, sensitively and proactively to all reports of nuisance, harassment, domestic violence and anti-social behaviour, complying with Octavia’s policies and procedures and achieving high levels of satisfaction. Pursue cases through the legal process, including attending court.

6 Assist tenants in completing transfer applications. Writing transfer reports with a clear assessment of the circumstances and recommendation.

7 Investigate cases of tenancy fraud and verify tenancies in accordance with our policies and procedures.

8 Contribute as necessary to annual reviews of estate services and service charges.

Liaison and Tenant Involvement

9 To be proactive and work in partnership with the Resident Initiatives Manager and the Octavia Foundation, and other agencies to develop and promote resident involvement, with the aim of meeting the needs of tenants and the community.

10 Ensure tenants are effectively consulted over decisions that affect them.

11 Draw up effective liaison and partnership arrangements with other external agencies such as other RPs, the police, local authorities and voluntary agencies.

12 Be an ambassador for the neighbourhoods you manage and form effective partnerships with residents and other stakeholders shaping community projects and promoting community cohesion.

13 Work closely with tenant groups to identify areas of community and environmental concern and work with tenants, Octavia’s Resident Initiatives Manager and Octavia’s Foundation and other appropriate agencies to identify solutions in a way that empowers tenants.

14 Arrange, attend and play a lead role (including Chairing if necessary) at tenants meetings – including evenings and occasionally week-ends.

15 To work in partnership with the Income team, being flexible over tasks and responsibilities to ensure the best customer service to tenants.

16 To ensure excellent services are provided to Octavia’s tenants, through close liaison with the CSO, Asset Management and Development Teams.

of 4 17 To represent housing management in the Development process.

18 To work with Asset Management to maximise access to tenants for gas servicing appointments.

19 In conjunction with the Estates Services Team to ensure communal areas comply with Octavia’s Fire Risk Assessments in relation to clearance of communal areas.

20 Take appropriate action against tenants who park illegally, drop litter, vandalise property, graffiti , dump bulk refuse, abuse staff or are in breach of their tenancy.

General

21 Investigate and respond to all complaints and informal comments about service delivery.

22A flexible approach to working hours will be required in order to meet the needs of tenants. This will involve some evening and occasional week-end work.

23 To contribute to the development of Octavia’s strategies and policies through positive participation in working groups and other corporate activities

Generic

How will the post holder know if they are performing?

A number of performance targets will be planned and agreed each year with the line manager and these will be monitored at regular meetings. Regular feedback will be provided by the line manager and opportunity provided to discuss any problems, personal and team matters and personal development issues.

Generic requirements

The post holder will be expected to comply with the Association’s and the department’s policies and procedures at all times. These include, but are not limited to equal opportunities, confidentiality, data protection and health and safety.

Tenant/client involvement is an essential part of all roles within the association and all are expected to support the policies and procedures relating to the involvement of tenants/clients and to contribute to the association’s action plan.

In order to do their job the post holder will be trained and coached in the procedures and policies of the Association. They will be expected to familiarise themselves with the association’s procedures and policies and to seek advice and guidance from the line manager if required.

The key tasks listed above are only an indication of the main tasks required to be performed. It is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities and may be subject to amendment to take account of changing circumstances. Any changes will be made following discussion with the post holder. The post holder will remain co-operative and flexible in line with the needs of the post and the Association.

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

POST: Neighbourhood Officer

The Person Specification states the minimum knowledge, skills and experience required to carry out the job and is used for both shortlisting candidates for interview and to identify the areas to explore in an interview.

E = Essential criteria; D = Desirable criteria

Essential Criteria 1 Experience: . 1 year working in a customer service environment E . 1 year working in housing D . Successful working with other agencies E

2 Knowledge: . Good understanding of social housing & neighbourhood E management issues . Understanding of best practice in & management of nuisance, E harassment & anti-social behaviour . Understanding of landlord and tenant relationships and E responsibilities

3 Skills: . Excellent interpersonal skills including verbal communication E . Excellent written communication skills & ability to write accurate E & clear correspondence & reports . Numerate E . Good time management skills, ability to prioritise, work to E deadlines & meet targets . Demonstrable ability & commitment to working with tenants to E achieve positive service outcomes & commitment to continuous improvement in service delivery . Able to form and maintain good working relationships at all levels E internally & externally . Ability to resolve, anticipate & prevent problems E . Able to take responsibility & work independently & flexibly E . Effective negotiating skills E . Ability to deal with tenants sensitively & with care E . Use of databases, spreadsheets and word processing systems E

4 Other: . An understanding of and commitment to Octavia’s Diversity E policy . A flexible approach to working outside core hours E