Housing officer
Find a home for people who want to rent a house from a council or housing association. Look after properties and support the tenants.
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£404
Entry level
£673
Experienced
Monthly
£1,750
Entry level
£2,917
Experienced
Yearly
£21,000
Entry level
£35,000
Experienced
6,700
people are currently employed
High growth
200 more jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You would find a home for people who want to rent a house from a council or housing association.
You would usually be responsible for a particular housing estate or group of properties owned by the council or housing association. You’d regularly inspect the houses and organise repairs if necessary.
You’d help people with advice on their finances, if necessary, and encourage tenants to take part in tenancy groups that help shape the community in which they live. You would meet lots of people from different cultures and backgrounds.
You would:
Assess the needs of people applying for a house
Allocate the empty properties
Do regular inspections to make sure all properties are in a good state of repair
Refer tenants to appropriate sources of advice about benefits and welfare
Set the rents and deal with payments and arrears
Prevent and resolve anti-social behaviour and broken tenancy agreements
Arrange for legal action where necessary
Gather statistical information and prepare reports
Attend tenants' meetings
You would work closely with other organisations like local government social services and welfare rights organisations.
Hours
Environment
Travel
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Top skills
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It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- problem solving
- resourceful
- empathising
- building relationships
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- developing a plan
- time management
- negotiating
Your skills are important
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Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
Business
Care
Sociology
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this work but some employers may ask for qualifications at SCQF levels 4 to 6.
There is a Modern Apprenticeship in Housing (SCQF level 5 - 6/7).
Many housing organisations offer graduate trainee schemes; a degree in property management, social policy or public administration would be helpful.
There are a number of diploma, degree and MSc postgraduate courses that are partially or fully recognised by Chartered Institue of Housing (CIH) and would support CIH Chartered Membership.
For entry to a degree (SCQF level 10) you usually need National 5 qualifications and three to five Highers. Some universities ask for qualifications to be gained in one sitting.
You can also enter a degree with a relevant Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7) or Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8). With Advanced Highers, HNC or HND qualification you may enter the second or third year of some degree courses.
With a suitable honours degree and relevant experience you can apply to a masters (SCQF level 11).
Relevant industry qualifications such as Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Certificate or Diploma in Housing Practice, or be willing to work towards qualifications once in a job. CIH Chartered Membership can also be helpful.
To be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
You may require a driving licence for some jobs.
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