Allocations & Lettings Officer (Temporary Accommodation)
About the job
Salary: £33,143 – £36,363 a year
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent
Are you passionate about supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community? Do you have the drive and resilience to work in a fast-paced environment where you can make a meaningful difference every day? If so, we want to hear from you.
We’re looking for a highly motivated Allocations & Lettings Officer to join our Temporary Accommodation Team within Luton Council’s Housing Needs Service. This is a key front-line role responsible for ensuring the effective allocation of interim and S193 temporary accommodation to individuals and families facing homelessness.
As an Allocations & Lettings Officer, your main responsibilities will include:
- Managing the placement of homeless households into interim and temporary accommodation.
- Nominating households to suitable S193 accommodation in line with legislation and council policies.
- Developing and maintaining positive working relationships with accommodation providers and landlords.
- Acting proactively to ensure appropriate move-on solutions are identified and facilitated in a timely manner.
- Communicating effectively with service users, providers, and partners to deliver high-quality housing outcomes.
This is a vital role in ensuring the smooth flow of households through temporary accommodation and ultimately supporting clients into settled housing.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
We're looking for someone who is:
- Experienced in a busy, front-line housing or homelessness service, ideally working with vulnerable individuals and families with complex needs.
- Skilled in managing multiple priorities, meeting deadlines under pressure, and working with minimal supervision.
- An excellent communicator, with proven ability to advise, influence, and negotiate with a range of stakeholders, including clients, landlords, and other agencies.
- Confident with IT systems, including Word, Excel, databases, and e-communications.
- Knowledgeable about relevant legislation, including:
- The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017
- The Housing Act 1996
- The Suitability Order 2012
- The Equality Act 2010
- Housing Benefit regulations and landlord & tenant law
Requirements
- Level 3 qualification in Housing (or equivalent), or substantial experience in a similar housing environment.
- Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team with a flexible and proactive approach.
- Understanding of how local authorities discharge housing duties through social housing or private rented sector offers.
- Knowledge of the Public Sector Equality Duty and its application in housing services.
- Willingness to attend site visits and occasional out-of-hours working.
Why Luton Council?
At Luton Council, we’re committed to providing excellent services and making a real difference in the community. You’ll be part of a supportive, driven, and collaborative team that is passionate about improving lives through housing support.
We offer:
- Comprehensive training and development
- Flexible working options
- Access to a generous pension scheme
- Opportunities to make a real impact
If you’re ready to take the next step in your housing career and help deliver life-changing outcomes for Luton’s residents, we encourage you to apply today.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £33,143 - £36,363 per year