Private Sector Housing Technical Officer

About the job

Salary: £33,143 – £36,363 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

As a Private Sector Housing Technical Officer with Luton Council, you will support the Private Sector Housing Officers in ensuring high standards of safety, maintenance, and compliance across housing in the borough. You will be involved in a variety of tasks that contribute to improving housing conditions for residents, enhancing the quality of life, and ensuring the safety of vulnerable individuals.

In this role, you will conduct detailed inspections of residential properties, adhering to the Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the Decent Homes Standard. You will assess and process applications for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Licensing, investigating relevant databases to gather intelligence and support evidence-based decision-making. Your work will include preparing reports, plans, and schedules of work, and recommending enforcement actions where necessary to ensure compliance with housing standards.

You will also inspect completed works to assess guarantees and confirm the validity of gas and electrical safety certificates. Additionally, you will prepare and present cases for prosecution and Residential Property Tribunals, supporting the enforcement of housing regulations.

A key element of your role will be investigating routine service requests related to premises and occupants, instigating regulatory actions in accordance with established procedures. You will liaise with a variety of professionals, departments, and external agencies, offering advice on enforcement actions, departmental initiatives, and energy efficiency measures for dwellings. You will provide referrals to the Council’s Home Improvement Agency (HIA) Team, Occupational Therapists, Adult Social Care, and other relevant agencies, particularly in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

In collaboration with the Private Sector Housing Manager, you will actively participate in projects such as area and street surveys, contributing to strategic initiatives aimed at improving housing standards. You will also assist in delivering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training sessions on specific housing issues.

This role will require direct interaction with the public, homeowners, landlords, contractors, and other agencies, often in situations that may require tact, diplomacy, and clear communication. You will need to effectively explain complex policies, building regulations, and legislative requirements to encourage compliance and resolve disputes. Ensuring that works are completed to the required standards will be a critical part of your responsibilities.

You will be expected to carry out regular site visits across the borough, which may involve the use of ladders, scaffolding, or entering confined spaces such as lofts. A commitment to maintaining up-to-date knowledge of the latest building construction techniques, legislation, government guidance, and Council policies is essential to ensure that your work remains relevant and effective.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About you

As a Private Sector Housing Technical Officer at Luton Council, you will play a crucial role in ensuring that housing standards across the borough meet the required safety and quality regulations. Drawing on your expertise in Environmental Health, Private Sector Housing, or other enforcement roles, you will carry out inspections, assess housing conditions, and contribute to enforcement actions aimed at improving the safety and well-being of residents.

Your core duties will include inspecting residential properties, assessing compliance with Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) standards and Decent Homes criteria. You will be responsible for analyzing the results of your inspections and preparing accurate, comprehensive reports and specifications that inform enforcement actions when necessary.

You will need to have a demonstrable ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including members of the public, landlords, contractors, and other agencies. Your tact, diplomacy, and persuasive communication skills will be essential in managing potentially challenging situations and explaining technical and legal requirements to ensure compliance with housing standards.

A key aspect of the role will involve working effectively within a team environment while also managing your workload independently to meet deadlines. You will also need to demonstrate an understanding of the effects of discrimination on service delivery and be able to apply this knowledge in practice, ensuring fairness and equality in your interactions with the public.

You will be required to travel throughout the borough to conduct building surveys, including inspecting lofts and roof spaces using steps and ladders on a daily basis. This will require a good level of physical fitness and a proactive attitude to completing on-site inspections. Additionally, you will be expected to maintain accurate records, specifications, and reports in line with Local Authority enforcement procedures and deadlines.

The role also offers the flexibility of working two days per week from the office, with the remaining days spent out in the field, engaging with properties and stakeholders across Luton.

To succeed in this role, you will need to bring an in-depth knowledge of Local Authority enforcement procedures and a relevant qualification in Building Construction or Technology (e.g., B/Tech) or equivalent practical experience. A commitment to continuous professional development and the ability to plan and organize your workload will be essential to ensuring the smooth delivery of your responsibilities.

This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English.

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.

• download: PREF104728 L6 202406 PRIVATE HOUSING TECHNICAL OFFICER (002) (002).doc
• download: Luton_Values_Flyer.pdf