Amy, Housing Officer

Length at current job: 4 years.

Tell us a little about your position and what you do on a day-to-day basis. Who are your customers and your co-workers? Do you work in a team environment or independently?

My role is to ensure that tenants sustain their tenancies and abide by the tenancy agreement set out by Bristol City Council. Part of my role is also to ensure my area is well maintained and any issues are reported and dealt with.

Each week I meet with tenants to resolve issues around anti-social behaviour, fly tipping, graffiti, overgrown areas, abandoned vehicles, environmental issues, communal repairs and emergencies (such as floods & fires). Quite often, I work with Social Services, as housing issues can be a risk factor for children or adults. 

I also conduct a number of telephone interviews with potential tenants, to get to know them, and ensure their support needs are met before they move into a property.

I work with a diverse group of people from many different backgrounds, but mainly with vulnerable people who are struggling to manage their tenancies. I can also deal with members of the public and homeowners if they form part of the issue at hand. 

I am part of a team of Housing Officers covering the Northwest of Bristol. Due to the nature of the job, quite often we do a lot of independent working as we have set areas to work on. However, we all use one another for advice and support as the work we do can be very emotionally challenging.

What keeps you motivated to go to work each day? What is your proudest accomplishment?

No day is ever the same and quite often the day will not be what you had planned. My job is not for everyone, and I like that. I like that it is a challenging job and I do it well, despite its pressures. I like that I have the opportunity to make people’s lives just that tiny bit easier for them. 

Much of the work we do can be life changing to a person, and I often think of a young care leaver who told me I saved his life, and his words push me to go the extra mile for people.

Are there any challenges in your job? If so, how do you handle them?

One of the biggest challenges is managing people’s expectations as quite often residents can’t understand why we are not evicting a tenant. I overcome this by including them in the decision making to a degree and ensuring they know the process that I need to follow. Communication and openness are key!

How have your past experiences prepared you for this job? How have you evolved in your current role and where do you hope to go next?

I have always worked with members of the public, in hospitality and retail, so I feel in some ways my current role is just an extension of this. Problem solving has always been at the heart of all of the roles I have worked in, which is one of the key skills needed to be a Housing Officer.

When I started, I had little to no experience dealing with housing issues and I felt very out of my depth. The best advice I was given by my manager was you won’t be able to solve everything, and that took me time to adjust to. I now feel very confident even when I don't always have the answers, it just takes time.

I would love to be given the opportunity to manage a team again. I have lots of ideas and would love to put some of them into practice. However, this job does give you the opportunity to be a manager as you are managing tenants and your patch, and I feel it’s impossible to outgrow this role as there is so much to learn.

What advice would you give someone who is seeking the same line of work?

Don't be scared to ask questions as even the people who have been here for 20 years are still trying to find some of the answers, a lot of the time there is no clear route and that is okay. Remember to look after yourself and take a step back whenever you need to. It's a very fun, energetic and fast paced job which will always keep you on your toes.