Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: Grade PO5 range from £47,000- £49,900

Contract Type: Full-time Permanent

Working hours per week: 5 days per week 36 hours

Weeks per year: 52

Application Deadline: 22/10/26

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC

Reference: 2354

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

About the role:

To manage housing disrepair cases from inception through to completion, ensuring the Council complies with its statutory, contractual and regulatory obligations. The post holder will inspect properties, diagnose building defects, prepare specifications, manage remedial works, and provide technical expertise in response to legal disrepair claims.

The Disrepair Surveyor will work closely with Legal Services, contractors, residents and internal stakeholders to minimise legal exposure, improve resident satisfaction and ensure homes are maintained to a safe and habitable standard.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

Disrepair Case Management

Manage a caseload of housing disrepair claims and pre-action protocol cases.
Undertake inspections of residential properties to identify defects and assess liability.
Determine causation of defects including damp and mould, water ingress, structural movement, condensation and building failures.
Prepare detailed schedules of work, specifications and cost estimates.
Prioritise cases according to legal risk, health and safety concerns and service impact.
Ensure repairs associated with disrepair claims are completed within agreed timescales.

Technical Surveying

Conduct property inspections and post-inspections.
Assess buildings in accordance with housing legislation, relevant British Standards and Council policies.
Identify Category 1 and Category 2 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
Prepare technical reports, condition surveys and witness statements where required.
Specify repair solutions that provide long-term value and prevent recurring defects.

Legal and Compliance

Support the Council's response to housing disrepair claims under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
Liaise with Legal Services regarding active claims, expert reports and litigation matters.
Attend joint inspections with claimant surveyors and legal representatives where required.
Review expert witness reports and provide technical responses.
Assist in preparing evidence for court proceedings, injunction applications and settlement negotiations.

Contractor Management

Instruct and manage contractors undertaking disrepair works.
Monitor contractor performance, programme delivery and quality of workmanship.
Ensure contractors comply with health and safety legislation and contractual obligations.
Authorise payments and variation orders in accordance with financial regulations.
Carry out post-inspections to verify satisfactory completion of works.

Resident Engagement

Act as the primary technical contact for residents involved in disrepair claims.
Communicate effectively and sensitively with vulnerable residents.
Explain findings, repair solutions and programme delivery in a clear and professional manner.
Work collaboratively to resolve complaints and improve resident outcomes.

Performance and Reporting

Maintain accurate records within housing management and case management systems.
Produce management information relating to disrepair performance.
Monitor expenditure against approved budgets.
Contribute to service improvement initiatives aimed at reducing disrepair and improving repair completion times.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

Experience managing housing disrepair claims within a local authority or social housing environment.
Strong knowledge of building construction, maintenance and defect diagnosis.
Experience of managing contractors and repairs programmes.
Understanding of Section 11 Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
Knowledge of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
Experience producing technical specifications, reports and schedules of works.
Strong stakeholder management and customer service skills.
Experience working with legal teams and external surveyors.

Desirable

Experience dealing with damp and mould remediation.
Knowledge of Pre-Action Protocol for Housing Conditions Claims.
Understanding of Decent Homes Standards and Social Housing Regulation.
Experience of giving evidence in legal proceedings.
Knowledge of NEC or JCT contracts.

Key Competencies

Technical expertise in building pathology.
Strong written report writing skills.
Negotiation and conflict resolution.
Risk assessment and problem solving.
Effective case management.
Commercial awareness.
Ability to manage competing priorities.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications and Requirements:

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:

Essential

HNC/HND, Degree or equivalent qualification in Building Surveying, Construction, Building Studies or related field or relavent time served.
Full UK Driving Licence.

Desirable

Membership of RICS, CIOB, CABE or equivalent professional body.
Accredited HHSRS qualification.
Damp and mould surveying qualification.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
Satisfactory declaration of interest;
This role is subject to safer recruitment practices as it involves work with children and/ or vulnerable adults;
Satisfactory DBS check;
Continued professional body registration;

Suitable driver’s license;
This post is politically restricted therefore the post holder is disqualified from undertaking certain political activities under the Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990.
As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact: Deanne Shah, Head Of Building Works at Deanne.Shah@walthamforest.gov.uk.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Fraud Awareness Notice
The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).

We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.

If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.

If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.