A Career in Housing

What is Housing Work?

Many people who live in a house they own themselves (or their parents own) think 'housing' is only about house prices, mortgages and estate agents. But for a start, one third of the population live in rented housing, and will be concerned about rents, how secure they are and what obligations their landlord has. In Britain there are over five million homes owned by housing associations and local councils. They are often rented to people on low incomes, the elderly, or people with special needs. Rented housing like this needs people who will manage it and provide the services that its customers need. This is where the housing professional comes in.

More than 150,000 people are employed in housing and housing management within the UK. Most of these work for local authorities and housing associations. However, housing jobs can also be found with housing trusts, co-operatives, voluntary organisations, the private sector and commercial bodies and in other public service departments such as social services and health authorities.

But what is housing work? It takes many forms, from giving advice to homeless people on how they can go about getting a house, to collecting rents, assessing repairs on a house, allocating houses to tenants and even to running a multi-million pound organisation responsible for thousands of houses in one area. The work will vary depending upon the particular functions of the housing organisation, its size and location. Housing stock and social conditions vary from one city to another and between urban and rural areas, which affects the nature of housing work.

There have been many changes in the housing sector over the last few years - growing owner occupation, the rise in homelessness and repossessions, the increasing importance of housing associations, the growth of tenant managed housing and recently, a recognition that housing professionals needs to work with other public services to regenerate the communities in which people live.

If you choose to work in housing, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your contribution really matters, because everyone needs somewhere decent to live. This is why many people are attracted to housing work from other fields, as well as when starting a career. The work is not easy and often challenging, but the rewards in terms of fulfilment are high.

What sort of People work in Housing?

All kinds! But you are more likely to be suited to the work if you have the following skills and attributes:

An interest in people's living conditions; strong communication and negotiation skills; organisational skills; flexibility and adaptability to a variety of different situations; ability to work on your own initiative and under pressure; a desire to take on responsibility; an interest in developing new skills; an understanding of people from diverse cultural backgrounds and with different needs.

What Types of Housing Work are Available?

For those who enjoy contact with a wide cross-section of the public, there are many opportunities in the 'frontline' of housing, dealing directly with tenants, their needs and their options. You could be involved in managing an advice centre, helping the public with matters arising from housing legislation, landlord and tenant relationships or rents; or advising tenants on their welfare rights.

Your responsibilities could affect all sorts of initiatives from small sheltered housing schemes to large estates, from special needs housing to everyday maintenance of the housing service. Most importantly, your work could have a direct and beneficial effect on people and their standard of living.

However, there are many roles within housing and you can choose to specialise in housing law, housing finance or organisational management.

Click here for more information about specific jobs in housing.

Do I Need to be Qualified to Work in Housing?

More and more organisations require or encourage staff to acquire housing qualifications. As the professional organisation for people who work in housing, the Chartered Institute of Housing offers a flexible and accessible range of housing qualifications for housing workers at all levels and a variety of membership grades to reflect study and experience.

For further information on courses available, visit the education section of our website.

How do I get a Job in Housing?

Vacancies in housing range from clerical work through to senior management. Related jobs also exist in areas such as environmental health and law.

Success will depend upon your own efforts, but there are jobs available in housing throughout the UK and even abroad. You can find job advertisements in the local and national press, as well as the weekly magazine Inside Housing, which might be in your local careers office or library.

Click here for a list of essential recruitment contacts.

Housing organisations also list vacancies, so contact local authorities and housing associations in your area - you'll find these in your local Yellow Pages.

Alternatively, if you are a school leaver or graduate wanting to gain first hand experience of housing at the grass roots level, you could contact your local Council for Voluntary Services or volunteer agency for information on local community-based housing organisations. Many successful housing professionals begin their careers in this way. For further contact details.

Job applications or circulation of your CV to prospective employers will be enhanced if you have some experience of housing work or voluntary work experience. However, related skills and personal qualities can be just as important.

Click here for advice on completing your job application form.