Job Title: Lettings Officer

Contract Type: Fixed Term for 6 months

Salary: £22,535 Pro rata ( £23,721 is achieved after 12 months successful performance in the role)

Working Hours: Part-time 28 hours

Working Pattern: Hybrid

Location: Carlisle, Cumbria / Hybrid

For your application to be considered please attach a current CV and cover letter.

Applications may close before the deadline, so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Why Riverside?

At Riverside, we ’ re a housing association with a difference – enhancing the everyday for all our customers. For 90 years, we ’ ve been revitalising neighbourhoods and supporting communities by providing the homes they need to live full, fulfilling and rewarding lives.

We have a portfolio of over 75,000 affordable residential and retirement homes across the UK. Our work ranges from homelessness services to social care, employment support to retirement living, and we need the best people on board to help us.

Working with us, you ’ ll enjoy:

• Competitive pay & generous pension
• 28 days holidays plus bank holidays (FTE)
• Flexible working options available
• Investment in your learning, personal development and technology
• A wide range of benefits
  

The difference you will make as a Lettings Officer:

Role Profile

Deliver a quality lettings service for social housing, working closely with colleagues from Asset Services and Housing Services to ensure that homes are let quickly and appropriately, at the required standard, minimising rent lost through empty homes. Role model Our Riverside Way values, and work closely with other teams to ensure that services meet our aspirations, and that our customers trust us to deliver on our commitments. Drive the continuous improvement of the customer experience, while relentlessly reducing waste and improving value for money.

Role requires you to:

• Deliver end to end management of empty homes, from the point that notice is received (or handover date is received), to the creation of the new tenancy on the housing management system. Work collaboratively with colleagues in Asset Services and Housing Services to ensure that properties are let as quickly as possible, to the required standard.
• Manage notice periods, advising customers of their responsibilities, securing a forwarding address and making arrangements for any arrears to be paid, making arrangements for notice inspections and viewings.
• Manage customer housing applications where CBL partnerships delegate this responsibility to housing providers
• Advertise and allocate properties in line with lettings policies and strategies, using CBL partnerships, local nomination arrangements and online advertising as appropriate, ensuring that photographs and information provided about the property are an acceptable quality.
• Carry out appropriate pre-tenancy checks, including an income and expenditure check, to support customers to ensure that they are able to afford the property and referring on for specialist support as appropriate. Take rent in advance payments and agree and set up payment plans. Support with on-boarding new customers through the Digital Tenancy Sign Up portal.
• Make appointments as necessary for viewings, sign ups, turn on and tests, liaising with colleagues in other teams.
• Maintain accurate customer records, preparing sign up documentation and creating tenancies in the housing management system, and accurate void management records to ensure that reporting is correct, up to date and reliable. Complete and upload the CORE form for all lettings.
• Establish a positive relationship with new customers, acting as the key point of contact until they have successfully moved in, answering questions and resolving issues to drive high levels of satisfaction with the lettings process.
• Ensure compliance with Group requirements in Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Equality & Diversity and Data Protection
  

Person Specification

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable commitment to Our Riverside Way values.
• Proven ability to show initiative, take ownership of tasks and successfully resolve customer queries.
• A strong customer focus, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience of working in lettings.
• Proficient in use of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to work under pressure, deliver to strict deadlines and manage conflicting priorities.
• Proactive approach, able to work flexibly and adapt to changing situations, and to support colleagues to do the same.

Desirable

• Competence in using Open Housing and Salesforce