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Wellbeing

Housing officer

Housing officers look after rented properties for local authorities and housing associations.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £35,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: evenings; attending events or appointments

4%
Future employment

There will be 4% more Housing officer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

You will:

  • assess the needs of people applying for housing
  • give people vacant accommodation
  • carry out regular inspections
  • deal with anti-social behaviour and broken tenancy agreements
  • refer people to advice on benefits and welfare
  • set rents and deal with payments and arrears
  • gather statistical information and prepare reports
  • attend meetings
  • arrange for things like broken lifts and boilers to be repaired
  • work with other agencies like social services

Working environment

You could work at a client's home or in an office.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
University

You could complete a foundation degree or degree in:

  • housing studies
  • social policy
  • building surveying

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
College

You can do a college course like the Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Housing Practice.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
  • search for courses|/find-a-course
Apprenticeship

You can take a housing property assistant intermediate apprenticeship and then a housing and property management advanced apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You may be able to start as a housing or admin assistant and work your way up. You could do this through on-the-job training leading to a qualification like the Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, offered by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Volunteering and work experience

You may find it helpful to get some experience with a housing charity or local tenants' association.

See Do-it and NCVO for information on voluntary opportunities in your area.

Direct application

You may be able to apply to a local authority or housing association for a place on a graduate training scheme, if you have a degree.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

More information

Career tips

You could work for a local authority, a housing association or a charity like Shelter. You could also work for a university or property company.

Further information

You can get more advice about careers and training in housing from the Chartered Institute of Housing.

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With experience you could specialise in an area of housing like homelessness or anti-social behaviour.

You could also move into management and become a senior housing officer, regional manager, head of service or director.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • business management skills
  • administration skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of economics and accounting
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • the ability to work well with others
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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