POST TITLE: Housing Advisor
SECTION: Housing & Community Services
SALARY: Grade 5 £28,675 – £32,192 per annum
Location: Swale House
Contract Type: Fixed Term (Maternity Cover), full-time 34 hours per week
About the Role
Are you looking for an exciting opportunity in housing and in helping to reduce homelessness and make a difference to residents?
Swale Borough Council have an opening for a full-time Housing Advisor to join our friendly team. You will be working as part of our Housing Advice team, who are the initial point of contact for housing queries. The team will take a proactive and innovative approach to providing high-quality housing advice and guidance to residents on the options available to resolve their housing problems in accordance with housing legislation, with a view to preventing and relieving homelessness.
The role of a Housing Advisor is required to manage and prioritise initial queries quickly and efficiently, make enquiries which are necessary to determine the housing duty and provide in-depth advice on a full range of options to resolve a housing problem where possible, or refer to the appropriate team when required. You will need to have strong negotiation skills and be able to prioritise effectively. Some of your duties would be:
* To assess the initial stages of a homeless application for those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Assessing and prioritising their circumstances and needs quickly and efficiently, carrying out relevant enquiries primarily to determine homelessness and eligibility, and ensuring they are referred to the appropriate team in a timely manner.
* A key aspect of this role is to use negotiation and mediation skills, as well as appropriately challenging those who are homeless and their excluders, to prevent homelessness wherever possible, using a proactive and innovative approach. You will also need to manage the expectations of members of the public on the reality of the housing options available.
* To provide an effective, tailored advice service to those presenting with a housing problem in line with the Council's statutory homelessness duties. To manage and prioritise initial enquiries from those approaching as homeless or at risk of homelessness quickly and efficiently, taking an individual and objective approach to each case with a strong focus on preventing homelessness.
The role provides a customer-focused, proactive service to help our residents resolve their housing problems.
This is a busy & challenging role, but we work as a close and supportive team and work together to make a difference.
This is a full-time position working 34 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for 12 months to
cover a period of maternity leave, commencing in December 2025/January 2026.
About Swale Borough Council
Swale Borough Council is a progressive and ambitious Local Authority, located less than an hour from Central London in an attractive and diverse part of Kent, involving urban, rural, and coastal areas. We believe that staff are our most valuable asset and we're committed to attracting and retaining the very best. In recent times, we have adapted and evolved to meet the current world by introducing a highly flexible hybrid working policy, along with a 34 hour week, recognising that staff wellbeing and work/life balance are high on our agenda.
Our Offer
A range of benefits, including:
* 34 hour, full-time working week with the offices closing at 1:30pm on Friday
* Highly flexible hybrid working opportunities
* 7am to 7pm flexi time to suit personal circumstances for most roles
* Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years' LG service, plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave
* An additional 3 days' leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New Year
* Free parking
* Range of flexible working opportunities to accommodate people's home/work life balance, including compressed hours, 9-day fortnight, part-time
* 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) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family
* Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
* 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
* Annual flu vaccine
* Cycle to work scheme
* Staff benefits, including 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
About You
You will be expected to have a good knowledge of homelessness legislation and be able to provide advice and assistance to households who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to assess whether a relief duty is owed in line with the Homeless Reduction Act 2017.
You will already have practical experience in a similar role, either with another local authority or an organisation, with detailed and thorough knowledge of homeless investigations and S184 decisions in order to carry out the council's statutory duties.
You need to be prepared to and have experience of dealing with people faced with very stressful and distressing situations and be able to remain calm and empathise with their situation. You will need to be able to identify support needs and complete necessary referrals and you will be required to adhere to internal and external safeguarding procedures, attend multi-agency meetings and liaise closely with other agencies.
You will also be expected to work as part of a team, as well as working independently, being able to manage your own case load, using your own initiative and having good problem-solving skills.
Selection Process
Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those who are successful in securing an interview can expect a job-specific interview assessment, followed by an interview.
Swale Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Hannah Holdstock, Housing Assessment Manager, or Geoff Dunstall, Housing Advice Team Leader.
To apply for the position, please select the apply button shown and complete the online application form.
Closing Date: 28th September 2025
Interview Date: TBC
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary
Pay: £28,675.00-£32,192.00 per year
Work Location: In person