Housing adviser

Housing adviser job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

The work is varied with duties that range from answering enquiries, interviewing clients, assessing problems and writing reports, to acting as an advocate, lobbying or mediating on a client's behalf and providing legal advice. Other responsibilities include:

• maintaining records
• compiling statistics
• attending meetings
• interpreting legislation
• researching cases.

Referral and liaison with landlords and related organisations is another key feature of the work.

Typical employers of housing advisers

• Local authorities
• Specialist housing advice centres
• General advice centres such as the citizens advice bureaux and independent or neighbourhood advice centres
• Voluntary and charitable organisations.

The small numbers of vacancies and formal training opportunities that arise normally attract strong competition. Jobs are advertised in newspapers, local authority jobs lists and in a range of publications including Opportunities, Municipal Journal, Inside Housing, Property People, Housing Today, The Voice and Housing Agenda. Directories such as The Municipal Yearbook and the Voluntary Agencies Directory may be helpful for speculative applications.

Qualifications and training required

Previous relevant paid or voluntary work experience is essential prior to entry into the profession. Personality and experience are usually more important than qualifications, although a degree in housing, law, politics, counselling, guidance, psychology, social/community work, public/social administration or social sciences can be helpful.

Key skills for housing advisers

• maturity
• patience
• excellent interpersonal skills
• confidence
• caring and approachable
• resourcefulness
• good verbal and written communication skills.