Residential Property Officer Ref: 29-25

Salary: Grade 9, £24,916 - £30,873 per annum
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Location: Dereham / Across Breckland
Contract: Permanent

Make a Difference Every Day - Join Our Property Team

Do you take pride in fixing problems, staying organised, and making sure things run smoothly? Are you looking for a hands-on role where you can see the real-world impact of your work?

If so, we want to hear from you.

We're looking for a Residential Property Officer to help us manage and maintain our residential property portfolio across the beautiful Breckland district. This is a practical, varied role where you'll play a vital part in ensuring our homes are well looked after and let efficiently - making a real impact on our tenants' lives.

Why This Role Matters

As a Residential Property Officer, you'll:

• Keep our residential properties in great shape - safe, compliant, and ready for tenants
• Reduce void times and oversee maintenance work across a range of locations
• Coordinate contractors and track performance, ensuring high standards are always met
• Take a proactive approach to tenant queries and property issues
• Support the wider Property and Housing Teams with your can-do attitude and practical skills

From arranging repairs and assembling furniture, to managing compliance records and communicating with tenants - no two days will be the same.

What We're Looking For

We're after someone who is:

• Organised and proactive - a problem-solver who can juggle multiple tasks
• Technically skilled - comfortable with property maintenance, compliance, and using tools
• A people person - able to build positive relationships with tenants, colleagues, and contractors
• Health and safety aware - with a good understanding of regulations and working practices
• Hands-on and practical - ready to roll up your sleeves, carry out minor repairs, and keep things moving

You'll be self-motivated, reliable, and ready to take ownership of your work - all while contributing to a high-performing, friendly team that values support, communication, and collaboration.

Our Values - What Drives Us

At Breckland, we're:

• Collaborative: We work together, listen openly, and build on each other's strengths
• Ambitious: We're always looking for ways to do things better and make a bigger impact
• Results-Driven: We focus on solutions, not problems - and always keep our promises
• Empowering: We give people the tools and trust they need to thrive
• Supportive: We look out for each other - and we never forget the human side of our work

Why Join Us?

At Breckland Council, you'll be part of a forward-thinking organisation that's proud to support its employees. We're committed to helping you grow, develop, and succeed.

Here's what we offer:

• A local government pension scheme with a 14% employer contribution
• Generous holiday allowance - 25 days plus bank holidays, increasing with service
• Flexible working arrangements to support work-life balance
• Free car parking
• A chance to shape the future of one of the most beautiful and diverse rural areas in Norfolk

Breckland is a unique place to live and work - with market towns, vast countryside, and a community-first approach that makes a difference.

Is This the Role for You?

This could be a great fit if:

• You're passionate about property, community, and customer service
• You like a varied job that keeps you moving and problem-solving
• You want to work with a supportive team in a forward-thinking council

If you'd like an informal chat about the role, please contact Joe Green, Residential Property Surveyor at joe.green@breckland.gov.uk

We look forward to hearing from you!

Closing date: 9am, Thursday 24th July

Job summary

Description of duties

Primary Functional Objectives of the Role

• Organise and administer tenant and licensee vacations and new occupations including the handover of properties as required.
• Assist with managing voids and void periods from outgoing tenants to new incoming tenants.
• Manage any contractors and suppliers in the provision of tenancy management services to maintain the properties in a good state of repair, both pre-occupation and during occupation and organising emergency repairs.
• Procurement of furniture, fixtures and fittings and arrangement of delivery and installation and putting furniture together where possible.
• Arrange clearance and storage of tenant belongings left I the property at the end of occupation.
• Assist in the compliance monitoring and record keeping of compliance activities and flag any issues with known compliance concerns and assist in taking actions to rectify those issues.
• Undertake property inspections and attend properties on a regular basis throughout the district.
• Raise and manage contract and supplier requests for work including purchase ordering and invoice queries.
• Monitor quality of the works activities and be involved in any supplier/contractor contract and performance management.
• Liaise closely with the Housing team on the termination of tenancies and the Council's legal housing duties.
• Ensure a high level of customer services is provided at all times.
• Ensure compliance to and creation (if necessary) of all policies, procedures, standard operating practices in relation to tenant management, with recommendations for action and continuous improvement.
• Undertake any other duties as required by the line manager as part of the job role.

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of delivering against performance targets.
• Experience of working in an office environment and the ability to organise and manage case work.
• Experience of developing and working within set processes.
• Knowledge of all Microsoft packages.
• Knowledge of budget processes and experience of raising and managing purchase orders and raising invoices.
• Experience of working in a customer-facing environment and dealing with difficult customer service situations.
• Ability to be diplomatic, tactful and firm and professionally represent the Council.
• Well organised and ability to prioritise own workload.

Desirable

• Knowledge of local government structure processes and environments.
• A geographical understanding of the Breckland district.
• Experience of tenant management services.
• Experience of handling complaints and FOIs.
• Knowledge of property related administration.
• Knowledge of the Landlord and Tenant Act.
• Knowledge of the Council's statutory duties in relation to Housing services.
• Knowledge and experience of undertaking compliance checks.
• Experience of working in residential property management.
• Experience of working in a political environment.
• Experience of property Health and Safety legislation.

Qualifications

Essential    

• A good standard of education (GCSE English and Maths at Grade C / Level 4 or above, or equivalent qualification or experience)

Desirable

• Office administration qualification.

Behaviours

Collaborative:

• I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input.
• I listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge.

Ambitious:

• I always ask myself 'How could we do this better?
• I am a proud ambassador for the Council, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results Driven:

• I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions.
• I am flexible ensuring I provide the best possible service, wherever and whenever is best for the customer.

Empowering:

• I embrace new technology and look for new ways for our services to become digital not forgetting to be accessible for all.
• I take responsibility if things don't go well and learn from it for my own and for the organisation's development.

Supportive:

• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself ensuring I am welcoming, friendly and approachable.
• I treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect, valuing their thoughts, background and experience.

Health & Safety

• Up to 50% of the time this job role will be visiting properties, meeting residents, suppliers/contractors and also handling furniture fixture and fittings, therefore the risks associated with this role are based on remote lone working and manual handling and hand tool usage.

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Joe Green, Residential Property Surveyor - joe.green@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date - 9am, Thursday 24th July

APPLY ONLINE

DBS Requirement

Please be aware that if you are selected for this role there will be a requirement to undertake a DBS check as part of pre-employment checks.

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce which reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies - these are listed as essential requirements on the person specification (within the Recruitment Pack).