Private Housing Standards Officer    

Private Housing Standards Officer LBHF264324

Salary range:  £42,609 - £45,594 per annum. 

Work location: Clockwork Building, 45 Beavor Lane, Hammersmith, W6 9AR

Hours per week:  36

Contract type:  Permanent

Closing date:  21 November 2021

Contact details for an informal discussion: Debbie Ricketts, PSH Enforcement Team Manager, Debbie.ricketts@lbhf.gov.uk or 02087531258

At Hammersmith & Fulham, we are ambitious in reforming the council to ensure this is a place for everybody. Within the Environment Department, we offer a wide range of services to help make the borough an attractive place, one that is safe, clean and green and one in which our residents take pride.

Hammersmith & Fulham is one of the most popular boroughs in which to live and we want to ensure the Private Rented Sector provides safe housing for our residents.  We are looking for standards to be improved by highly competent professionals, to with good quality services that operate reliably and effectively. We need ambitious people who are ready to get involved with disrepair reports, inspect HMOs, serve notices, financial penalties and take prosecutions as well as dealing with public health nuisances, empty properties, and climate change.  You will have the full backing and support of the management team.

You will need to have experience of working in private sector housing, understand the Housing Health and Safety Rating System and be eligible to be a member of a suitable professional body such as CIEH, CIH or RICS.

Our mission is to be the best council. To do this we need the best people to help build our vision. If you’re looking to develop your career in a fast-paced, professional environment whilst making a difference, then we look forward to hearing from you.

Role Responsibilities:

To investigate complaints of poor private sector housing conditions and provide technical & directed advice to resolve matters. Where possible and appropriate, to work cooperatively with landlords to ensure required standards are met and housing conditions improved where required.  

The role includes but not limited to:

·    Investigation of poor housing conditions in HMOs and private rented sector.

·    To carry out property surveys and inspections of complex building, make assessments under the Housing Health & Safety Rating System and prepare schedules of work where necessary.

·    To implement the requirements of the Housing Act 2004 and the Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 in respect of the Mandatory, Additional, and Selective Licensing Schemes within the Borough.

·    To take informal & formal enforcement action as required to remedy instances of disrepair, filthy and verminous, drainage public health etc. 

·    Serve financial penalties  where appropriate. 

·    To record & maintain all casework within our current IT system 

·    To work collaboratively with colleagues from other teams and outside agencies.

·    To ensure compliance with the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) 

·    To investigate reports of empty homes within the borough and to take appropriate action wherever possible to bring the property back into use.

·    To develop and maintain thorough and current professional knowledge on environmental health functions and services

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.
People Values:

How we act defines who we are.  At the heart of our organisation is a common approach to defining ‘who we are’.  We are looking for people who can build this into everything they do.

We are fair

We treat everyone with compassion, dignity and fairness. We value the views and opinion of others, and promote benefits and opportunities for all.

We are caring

We care about our borough and doing things well. We focus on standards and continuous improvement; learning from our mistakes and celebrating success.

We are collaborators

We work together for a better society. We work with our residents, businesses, schools, third sector and others for better outcomes for everyone.

We are driven

We will only settle for the very best. We seek to continually improve and put our residents, customers and businesses at the heart of everything we do.

Recruiting for Attitude:

Your skills and ability are important however, we recruit as much for attitude as we do experience. We are looking for people who have the following attributes: 

Complex problem-solving 
The ability to work within a complex system and find simple solutions and outcomes that deliver real change. 

Critical thinking 
The ability to challenge the norms through evidence-based approaches using both numerical and critical reasoning and thinking. You can rationalise decision-making and form views quickly and soundly from a range of sources. 

Creativity 
You take approaches that demonstrate how doing things differently and creatively changes the dynamic in situations. You can apply creative solutions that deliver hard outcomes. 

People management 
You can get the best out of people. You have a coaching-style and drive through a commitment to personal and professional development. You are clear in your expectations and have exceptional feedback from your team about their working environment. You recognise and support people as individuals. 

Coordinating with others 
You have the knack of working well with others. You have an appreciation of your own presence and approach and can demonstrate how you have developed and continue to develop how you work with others. You can also recognise how others work, think, and feel to get the most out of collaboration. 

Emotional intelligence 
You have a high degree of self-awareness and self-regulation in a wide range of situations from one-to-one conversations to team and group dynamics. You can recognise motivating factors and demonstrate empathy appropriately applying a wide range of adaptive social skills. 

Judgement and decision making 
You can take rational and evidence-based decisions and take responsibility for your decisions and actions. Where there is ambiguity or a lack of evidence you can demonstrate the ability to understand the environment and show flexibility in applying your judgement. 

Negotiation 
You can demonstrate an understanding of the range of skills and techniques required to successfully negotiate with a range of other partners. This includes understanding how to structure and undertake successful negotiation on an organisational-wide level. 

Service orientation 
You must be unequivocal in your commitment and drive for outstanding service delivery. Both in terms of the quality of products and work delivered as well as the achievement of objectives. You and your team can demonstrate how your overall contribution to the organisation and service delivers to our organisational aims and objectives. 

Cognitive flexibility 
The ability to recognise the environment in which you work and adapt and shift to this environment to maximise your own personal achievement and lead others in the same approach. Applying cognitive flexibility to situations of significant change and transformation. 

Role Specific Qualifications:

• A formal qualification in Environmental Health, Building Surveying, Construction, or a similar field. Substantial experience in this field may substitute for a formal qualification in certain circumstances, at the discretion of the council 
• Evidence of active participation in continuing professional development 

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.
 
Corporate Equalities Employment Policy: In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ) applies.
 
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.