Senior Allocations & Lettings Officer

Senior Allocations & Lettings Officer

Location: Hybrid working - 3 days onsite and 2 days remote
Contract: Initial 4-month contract, with a strong possibility of extension
Start date: 1st September
Rate: £32.59 PAYE or £42 Umbrella
Team responsibility: Managing a small team of 5 officers

An award-winning public sector organisation is seeking an experienced Senior Allocations & Lettings Officer to manage and support the delivery of an efficient, responsive, and customer-focused social housing allocations and lettings service.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced housing professional with strong team management skills and a detailed understanding of housing legislation, allocations policies, voids, lettings, and housing options.

The Role
As Senior Allocations & Lettings Officer, you will manage a team of five officers responsible for delivering housing allocations, lettings, transfers, decants, and under-occupation services.

You will provide leadership, guidance, and support to ensure that applicants and residents receive accurate advice and appropriate housing solutions. You will also work closely with internal teams, Registered Providers, contractors, landlords, surveyors, and other partners to deliver a seamless and financially efficient service.

The role requires a strong customer focus, excellent organisational skills, and the ability to make sound decisions within a legislative and performance-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage, motivate, and develop a team of five officers delivering allocations and lettings services.
• Oversee the provision of social housing in line with relevant legislation, statutory guidance, and housing allocation policies.
• Maintain a detailed working knowledge of the Housing Act 1996 Part VI and relevant homelessness legislation.
• Support the delivery of allocations through the housing register, transfers, decants, nominations, and under-occupation schemes.
• Monitor performance against key performance indicators and service standards.
• Work with the voids team, surveyors, contractors, and landlords to improve void turnaround times and minimise rental income loss.
• Ensure available properties are allocated and let efficiently and in accordance with policy.
• Liaise closely with Registered Providers regarding nomination requests and nomination agreements.
• Provide advice and guidance to residents regarding housing options, temporary accommodation, social housing, transfers, and alternative housing solutions.
• Manage and respond to customer complaints, Members' enquiries, and complex correspondence within required timescales.
• Prepare written and verbal briefings, reports, performance information, and financial returns for senior management and relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure officers maintain accurate, timely, and complete records on the authority's housing IT systems.
• Ensure that information is recorded correctly to meet legal, landlord, tenant, and data-quality requirements.
• Assist with emergency housing decants, transfers, service continuity, and other urgent housing matters.

About You

The successful candidate will have:

• Proven experience working in housing allocations, lettings, housing management, or a related property environment.
• Experience managing, supervising, coaching, or supporting a team.
• Good knowledge of housing legislation, statutory guidance, and social housing allocation frameworks.
• An understanding of Housing Act 1996 Part VI and homelessness legislation.
• Experience working with housing registers, nominations, transfers, decants, voids, or temporary accommodation.
• Experience supporting vulnerable residents and handling sensitive or complex customer issues.
• Experience working within a performance management framework and reporting against KPIs.
• Strong knowledge of customer-focused housing services and service improvement.
• Experience managing complaints, enquiries, correspondence, and competing priorities.
• Good numeracy and basic accounting skills, including the ability to produce clear and accurate reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messages to different audiences.
• Strong administrative, organisational, record-keeping, and case-management skills.
• Experience using housing management systems, databases, spreadsheets, email, and other IT applications.
• Knowledge of health and safety procedures and their practical application within housing and lettings services.
• The ability to work effectively in a hybrid, agile, and sometimes remote-working environment.
• A relevant housing qualification, NVQ, GCSEs, or equivalent experience within housing or property management would be advantageous

Working Arrangements
This is an initial 4-month contract with a view to extend, subject to service requirements and performance.

The successful candidate will work on a hybrid basis, with 3 days onsite and 2 days remote. The role is expected to commence on 1st September.

The position offers the opportunity to join an award-winning organisation and make a direct contribution to the delivery of effective social housing and lettings services.