Housing Solutions Officer - Maldon District Council

Maldon District Council

Permanent, Full Time

£36,037.47 up to £40,765.29 per annum

Location: Maldon

Closing Date: 16th August 2026

Maldon District Council is working in partnership with Essex Shared Services to support the role of Housing Solutions Officer, a full-time position offering hybrid working with an expectation of attending the office 2 days per week.

Role Purpose:

To provide accurate, up-to-date, and tailored housing advice, determining duties owed under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017. This includes conducting Full Housing Assessments (FHAs), creating, and maintaining Personalised Housing Plans (PHPs), and scheduling regular review meetings.
Ensure PHPs are outcome-focused and empower applicants toward sustainable housing solutions.
Undertake proactive casework to prevent or relieve homelessness, including landlord negotiation, mediation, and partnership working.
To issue Prevention and Relief acceptance letters, to conduct robust casework to prevent or relieve homelessness, and propose main duty decisions.
Ensure compliance with the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 and other relevant housing legislation.
Engage applicants effectively, gathering accurate information in a sensitive but thorough manner.
Stay up to date with developments in housing legislation, case law, and statutory guidance.
Deliver empathetic, respectful, and non-judgemental service to all customers. Handle complex and often distressing cases professionally and sensitively.
To enable the delivery of effective early intervention and homelessness prevention.
Work collaboratively with other agencies (e.g. social care, health, probation) to offer joined-up support.
Ensure that enquiries and cases are managed efficiently and recorded accurately.
Effectively manage incoming queries and referrals in line with service timescales.
Liaise with temporary accommodation providers, emergency services, or safeguarding teams where necessary.
Case recording and decision-making must be accurate, evidence-based, and legally sound due to potential legal challenges or reviews.
Participate in the out of hours duty rota as and when required.

Accountabilities – Service Delivery:

Demonstrate a strong working knowledge of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, including its duties around prevention and relief, personalised housing plans and local authority responsibilities. Be familiar with accompanying statutory guidance and how it applies in practice.
Direct or refer customers to the appropriate services, including and external partners such as Essex County Council, Social Services, Citizens Advice, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and domestic abuse support organisations, working collaboratively with teams and external agencies to resolve housing needs.
Actively promote early intervention by supporting customers to sustain their existing housing where appropriate, or to access suitable alternative accommodation.
Understand the full range of housing pathways available, including remaining in the home, private rented sector options, supported housing, and social housing routes, to ensure accurate advice and effective case progression.
Maintain accurate case notes and records on the housing case management system documenting all interactions, actions and decisions made.
Monitor and manage all incoming queries to the Housing Solutions service, responding efficiently to high volumes of communication received via Outlook, telephone, and face-to-face interactions.
Conduct risk assessments to identify safeguarding concerns, tenancy risk factors or vulnerability indicators escalating accordingly and act in line with council procedures.
Deliver a respectful, trauma-informed, and inclusive service to vulnerable and distressed customers. Maintain professionalism when handling challenging or emotional conversations.
Ensure all communications are inclusive, professional and customer focused.
Actively contribute to service improvement, highlighting trends, issues, or gaps observed during triage.

The Experience You Will Bring:

Educated to NVQ Level 3 / A Level or equivalent experience.
Understanding of the governance arrangements for the service and the Council.
An understanding of housing legislation, particularly the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.
Strong awareness of safeguarding responsibilities.
Excellent understanding of good customer service and confidentiality.
Experience working in a customer-facing role, ideally in housing, support or advice.
Experience managing sensitive or complex issues with empathy and professionalism.
Experience of using case management systems and handling personal data.
Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
Able to work calmly under pressure and manage a high volume of cases.
IT proficient.
Good organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload effectively.
Confident in dealing with vulnerable customers and managing difficult conversations.
Extensive experience of working in a customer focused, service delivery role.
Proven ability to understand and comply with legislation and regulations in day-to-day business.
Solid understanding of holistic case management approach and experience of providing multi-disciplinary support.
Proven ability to analyse, problem-solve and respond to requests and understanding of when to escalate a case.

Be part of Maldon District Council - 'Where Quality of Life Matters'

Maldon District Council is a local authority 'Where quality of life matters'. Our Corporate Plan sets out our vision and priorities for the next three years and will be reviewed regularly to make sure we are on the right track. Using a range of data and what we know about the needs of our residents, we have set out what we will be doing and what we aim to achieve between now and 2028. It is also a useful tool that helps with decision-making and allocating resources.

To download or listen to a presentation of the Corporate Plan 2025-2028 click here

Maldon District Council plays a crucial role in the development and prosperity of the District, working for the good of the community and the long term benefit of residents, you can be part of our friendly team. From front line customer facing roles to policy and strategy, the work of the Council is diverse and dynamic.

In addition to a competitive salary, you will be entitled to a range of benefits, including:

The Local Government Pension Scheme
Generous holiday entitlement
Flexible and agile working
Employee assistance programme
Cycle to work scheme
Salary sacrifice car lease scheme
Discounted local gym membership
Free parking

Maldon District Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children, young people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Disclosure and Barring checks will be undertaken according to the responsibilities of the role. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, culture and experience. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, sex, disability or marital status.

Maldon District Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. To demonstrate our commitment, we have been accredited as a Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident Employer we take various actions in order to successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.

For more information or an informal chat, please contact Helen Hawkins on 01621 854477 email Helen.Hawkins@maldon.gov.uk

Essex Shared Services is advertising this role as part of its partnership with Maldon District Council; however, the successful candidate will be employed directly by Maldon District Council.