Anyone who has ever played a game of Monopoly knows how hard it is to keep on top of your property portfolio – juggling houses on Old Kent Road with swanky hotels on Mayfair, collecting rents, dodging Go to Jail cards, and when those repair bills start coming in, it’s a one-way trip for your money.
And that’s just the bricks and mortar. Monopoly doesn’t feature any people.
Imagine sending Top Hat or Scottie Dog to deal with demanding five-star guests in your hotel or squatters kicking up a stink down Whitechapel way.
Well, a real-life version of Monopoly is played out every day across Scotland by a huge force of Housing Officers.
They might not be winning second prize in a beauty contest (collect £10) or paying school fees (£150), but they are managing and maintaining thousands of properties and the people within them.
Most Housing Officers work for a local authority or housing association, although government departments, charities, and property companies also employ them.
And we’re talking lots of staff. Scotland’s huge social housing stock and hundreds of housing associations means there is a vast amount of property to manage, often requiring large teams of people headed up by a Housing Manager.
Those working in the sector say the job is as much about the people as it is the buildings.
They stress the satisfaction that comes from making a positive difference to people’s lives, their communities and their life chances by providing a decent home and environment in which to live.
The varied demands of the job mean Housing Officers have to be part Bob the Builder, part skilled Negotiator, part sharp-eyed Accountant and part Benefits Advisor.
Carrying out property inspections, organising maintenance work, interviewing prospective tenants and dealing with rent payments and arrears are the daily bread and butter.
When things don’t go quite so swimmingly there could also be anti-social behaviour issues, such as nuisance neighbours and broken tenancy situations, to tackle.
Housing Officers can also work with specific groups such as the homeless, people with disabilities and refugees, as well as retirement homes, colleges and universities.
To be a Housing Officer you need to have good organisational and time-management skills, be a great communicator and able to work under pressure. Tact and diplomacy are a given, as is the ability to cope with stressful situations.
There are no set entry requirements to be a Housing Officer, but some employers may prefer a relevant Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) qualification, a BTEC, Higher National Certificate (HNC), HND, or a degree.
So, if you’re looking for a career that is built on solid foundations, being a Housing Officer could be right up your street.
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