Private Sector Housing Technical Officer

About the job

Salary: £33,143 – £36,363 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Permanent

As a Private Sector Housing Technical Officer at Luton Council, you will play a vital role in improving housing conditions across the borough. Working as part of the Private Sector Housing team, you will support the delivery of our regulatory functions and strategic housing initiatives aimed at ensuring safe, decent, and energy-efficient homes for residents.

You will be responsible for inspecting dwellings in line with the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and the Decent Homes Standard, as well as assessing and processing House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence applications. Your duties will include gathering intelligence through interrogation of various databases, preparing plans, schedules of work, and detailed reports, and making recommendations for enforcement actions where appropriate.

The role also involves inspecting completed works, verifying compliance through guarantees and gas/electrical completion certificates, and preparing cases for prosecution or Residential Property Tribunals. You will investigate routine service requests related to both properties and individuals, taking regulatory action when necessary, and consulting with relevant professionals, departments, and external agencies.

You will provide advice and guidance on enforcement matters, contribute to key departmental initiatives such as Decent Homes, affordable warmth, and home maintenance schemes, and make referrals to the Council’s Home Improvement Agency (HIA), Occupational Therapists, Adult Social Care, and Safeguarding teams where necessary.

This is a dynamic role that requires active participation in internal and external training to support your development. Under the guidance of the Private Sector Housing Manager, you will also assist with specific projects such as street and area-based housing surveys and support the delivery of CPD training sessions on housing-related issues.

Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.

About you

You will have demonstrable experience working in Private Sector Housing or a related Environmental Health or enforcement role, with a solid understanding of local authority enforcement procedures. Ideally, you hold a qualification in Building Construction or Technology (such as a B/Tech), or you can show equivalent, relevant experience in the field.

Your communication skills are excellent — you're able to converse clearly and fluently in spoken English, offering advice and guidance effectively to members of the public, landlords, and a wide range of stakeholders. You approach people with tact, diplomacy, and professionalism, and you're confident in your ability to persuade and influence when necessary.

You have a keen eye for detail, with the ability to inspect and measure premises, analyse findings, and produce accurate reports, specifications, and written records. You’re highly organised, able to plan and prioritise your workload to meet strict deadlines, and comfortable working independently or as part of a collaborative team.

You also have a practical understanding of how discrimination can impact service delivery and are committed to inclusive practices that support all residents. Physically, you're capable of undertaking building surveys across the borough — which includes using ladders and accessing loft and roof spaces — and are available to work from the office two days per week (09:00–17:00).

Your passion for improving housing standards, combined with your technical knowledge and people skills, makes you a strong fit for this challenging but rewarding role.

This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English.

About us

Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough

Application Process

On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.

Benefits

We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel

How to apply

We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!

Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply

Available documents

Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.

• download: PREF104728 L6 202406 PRIVATE HOUSING TECHNICAL OFFICER (002) (002).doc
• download: Luton_Values_Flyer.pdf