Case studies: Housing officer: Lucy Smith

Lucy works as a housing officer and has been in the role for three months. She graduated in 2006 with a law and criminal justice degree.

When I graduated I began working at a solicitors firm within the conveyancing department and this sparked an interest in working within the housing sector.  After a while I was made redundant but I had already decided that as I had enjoyed working within this area I wanted to remain in housing, so I began to job hunt for opportunities within social housing.

Before this job role I worked for a housing association for six months as a customer service adviser. This gave me the opportunity to experience working within this area, to gain an understanding of social housing and to also gain the necessary experience required to progress in to the role of a housing officer.

For anyone that wants to become a housing officer I would advise initially working within a customer service role but within the housing sector. This provides a great basis for career progression and if you have a passion and wish to progress this can be a quick stepping stone.

Even though my degree is not within housing it has still been useful in my job role. It provided me with an understanding of the legislation and case law which is relevant to social housing. My law degree is also a widely respected degree and shows commitment and the ability to learn.

As I have only been a housing officer for a short amount of time I haven't personally experienced any development in the role as yet. We do have to abide by specific legislation, however, and so any change or amendment to the law could result in us having to change the way we work.

My job role involves signing up and advising new tenants on properties within my patch, completing new tenant visits to see how people are coping with their tenancies and dealing with any complaints or queries from tenants or the general public. I also have to deal with anti-social behavior as well as completing monthly communal area inspections. I serve notices to quit when necessary and am present at evictions and also deal with fly-tipping.

I enjoy the fact that every day is different and you never know what might crop up. I enjoy meeting people and trying to find solutions to their issues. The role is very rewarding as you can help make a difference to people's lives and I am always busy and never short of work to do. The less enjoyable part is dealing with tree and plant enquiries; I struggle to get job satisfaction from that part of the job. 

In regards to my future plans I would like to complete the Chartered Institute of Housing Professional qualification and then eventually progress to a managerial position.