Housing Options Officer

Housing Options Officer

Braintree District Council

Permanent, Full Time

£36,684 - £40,212

Location: Braintree

Closing Date:Tuesday 7th April 2026

Essex Shared Services are delighted to be advertising the role of Housing Options Officer on behalf of Braintree District Council

 To find out more information or apply for the role please click HERE

Braintree District Council has an exciting opportunity for two Housing Options Officers to join our Housing and Community Services.

We are looking for individuals who are committed to providing a high quality, customer-focused service and will work with customers and partners to achieve positive outcomes.

Working as part of a busy team, you will deliver a front‑line housing service to individuals and families experiencing housing difficulties, both in person and by telephone. You will take part in the team rota, which includes responding to emergency approaches, carrying out face‑to‑face assessments, and undertaking duties as required to meet the needs of the service.

The main purpose of the role is to assess housing need and provide specialist advice in respect of all housing options to prevent and relieve homelessness. Your essential skills will include persuading and influencing, together with an ability to come up with creative solutions for a wide range of housing difficulties.

This role will support residents through upcoming changes brought by the Renters’ Rights Act from 1^st  May 2026, offering clear advice on the new tenancy rules and strengthened renter protections. However, when prevention and relief opportunities have been exhausted, you will be required to undertake investigations to determine the extent of the Council’s further statutory duties and ensure they are carried out.  An ability to focus on the key issues, conduct the correct enquiries and write well-constructed, legally-sound decision letters is essential.

You will be required to participate in the Housing Options duty rota, responding to emergencies as required, and should also be flexible over working start/finish times to meet the demands of the service. In addition, you will be part of the team’s out-of-hours service, for which an additional payment is made.

You will need to be an enthusiastic team player with strong interpersonal and computer skills and have demonstrable experience of delivering advice and support to the public, as well as liaison with other statutory and public bodies. You will be keen to help us develop the service in line with the Government’s current legislative agenda, focusing on solutions and open to new ideas. Previous experience of providing housing advice and applying relevant legislation is desirable. You will also support customers as the new Renters’ Rights Act 2025 comes into force, including changes such as the abolition of Section 21 and the shift to periodic tenancies from 1^st May 2026, ensuring advice remains accurate and up to date.

At present, the team works in a hybrid pattern, combining office and home working. However, the successful candidates will be required to work five days per week in Causeway House, Braintree while completing their induction, and after that from time to time to meet service demands.

Why choose Braintree District Council?

Braintree is an ambitious and dynamic Council and is becoming one of the fastest growing Districts in the East of England with three growing towns, London just 45 minutes away and the District located directly between the international transport centres of Stansted Airport and Harwich and Felixstowe International Ports. We have a deserved track record for delivering and a strong reputation within the business community.

Braintree District Council is a great place to work. We pride ourselves on our creative and innovative approach, which is led by our employees, and are committed to having an engaged workforce who understand our strategy and how they can help deliver it. Our people see the difference they make and how the work they do actively contributes to and encourages positive change in the local community.

We also offer some great benefits, including:

• Flexible working
• Local government pension scheme
• Learning and development for all employees
• Employee discounts at local businesses
• Employee recognition schemes
• Extensive health and wellbeing programmes, including discounted gym membership

For more information, please see the Job Profile.

If you are interested in this position and would like an informal chat, please contact Jayne Mills (Housing Options Manager) on 01376 312593 or Ben Paton (Housing Options Officer) on 01376 312608.

To apply, click ‘Apply online’ below.

Closing date for completed applications: Midnight on Tuesday 7^th April 2026

Face-to-face interviews will be held on Wednesday 15^th April 2026.

Guidance on the application process and helpful hints can be found here: Application Guidance.