Housing Advice Officer

**Salary**

Grade 9 £35,179 - £38,162 pa

**Contractual hours**

37

**Basis**

Full time

**Region**

South

**Job category/type**

Housing

**Date posted**

18/09/2025

**Job reference**

002184

**About the Role**:
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Housing Advice Officer to join our busy Housing Advice Team, working 37 hours per week from Trinity House. There is also the scope for hybrid working under the Council’s hybrid working arrangements, dependant on the needs of the service.

We are seeking someone with an understanding of Part 7 of the Housing Act, 1996 (as amended) who has experience of working with vulnerable people and making decisions based on their best interests. You should have a robust knowledge of the causes of homelessness and the issues faced by households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, including the interventions available to prevent and relieve their homelessness.

You would be working as part of the Housing Advice Team and wider housing service at our Community Hub, Trinity, in Maidstone Town Centre. The team provides a compassionate and supportive response to service users who are at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping by providing a face-to-face housing advice service to those who need it.

As a Housing Advice Officer, you will manage your own case load, work with clients to assess their housing needs and provide exceptional advice and support. You will need the ability to demonstrate skills of empathy in assessing the clients housing circumstances and support needs, to devise personalised housing plans and to provide a broad range of housing options, with the aim of assisting clients to retain their current accommodation, or secure alternative suitable accommodation.

There are two positions available, working full time on a fixed term basis for 12 months. You may also be required to participate in the out of hours on-call rota covering evenings, weekends and bank holidays to provide emergency assistance on housing matters.

**About You**:
The successful applicant will be enthusiastic, highly motivated and have excellent communication skills. Additionally, you will have excellent interpersonal, organisation and IT skills.

You should also have experience working with vulnerable or chaotic individuals, or lived experience of homelessness yourself. You should be a strong team player who embraces change and is able to work flexibility to meet the needs of the service and our clients.

You will also require a full UK driving licence and the ability to travel across the borough to conduct home visits at client's homes, prison, hostels, hospital or other locations as may be necessary.

The Council considers this to be a customer focused role and the ability to converse at ease with customers adapting communication style to suit differing audiences and provide advice in accurate spoken English is fundamental to the role.

**About Us**:
Maidstone Borough Council is a confident organisation with ambition and aspirations to deliver high quality services to our residents and local businesses. We strive to make the borough an attractive place for all and secure a successful economy.

We continue to build on our strengths - assets, knowledge and expertise and our track record for innovation and improvement to create a financially sustainable future so that we can continue with our undiminished plans.

We will only achieve the results we are aiming for through the talents and hard work of all our people. You are encouraged to become part of our vision and in return you can expect support, training, and fair reward from us. We will give you the opportunity to develop the skills to do your job well and create a positive working environment where your ideas about improving how we do things are valued and we manage the changes needed for new ways of working well.

**Our Offer**:
A range of benefits including:

- Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
- Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Life Assurance - three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
- Generous holiday entitlement with the option to buy additional leave
- Season Ticket Loan - to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
- Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.
- A wide range of flexible working opportunities
- Annual flu vaccine
- Cycle to work scheme
- Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
- Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
- A professional fee payment, if required for the role

**Selection Process**:
Maidstone Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable