Who's Who
We have listed job roles along with responsibilities to give tenants a better understanding of our teams.
Tenants will speak to different members of staff based on the service which they need, these can be:
To speak to Officers, you can call them on 01304 801084 and select the option suitable for your enquiry.
The Duty line is manned by our Housing Officers on a rota system, they can answer your query or pass it on to your Officers who can call you back.
We have a variety of ways you can contact us.
Housing Officers
Housing officers have a geographical patch and deal with:
- Tenancy checks
- Authorising tenancy changes, successions and ending the tenancies
- Tenancy enquiries
- Support for vulnerable tenants and attending case conferences
- Low level nuisance and tenancy disputes.
- Attending gas forced entries and evictions.
- Untidy gardens, garden clearances and tree removals
- Serving notices
- Some arrears visits
- Housing officers also act as duty officer for our telephone system.
Assistant Housing Officers (Estates)
Our Assistant Housing Officers (Estates) are out on estates every day, carrying out health and safety checks in blocks and on estates.
They monitor the cleaning contractors, work closely with DDC grounds maintenance and waste teams and serve notices to enforce safety requirements.
If you see them in your area, say 'Hello' and let them know if you have any questions or concerns.
Assistant Housing Officers
Our Assistant Housing Officers are responsible for our lettings process, you may meet them when you sign up.
Other things they do include:
- empty home management
- viewings and lettings of homes.
- Deal with tenancy terminations
- Liaise with housing options to advertise empty properties.
- Arrange offer letters
- Arrange to view properties with applicants.
- Liaise with property services to get work completed on empty homes
- Sign up new tenants.
Housing Officers (Anti-social Behaviour)
The ASB officers deal with more serious nuisance cases and usually manage cases in a particular patch. They:
- Prepare cases for court and attend
- Install sound recording equipment
- Manage ASB cases
- Obtain injunctions
- Support for victims and vulnerable perpetrators
Independent Living Managers
Our ILM's look after our Independent Living Schemes and residents. Doing everything from sign ups, viewings, health and safety checks, liaising with contractors/ external agencies and signposting.
Customer and Transaction Officers
The customer and transactions team provide administrative support for the housing service. They primarily log and respond to customers by manning the phones and monitoring email inboxes.
They also log post, administer mutual exchanges, monitor complaints, log tenancy changes in our computer systems and various other tasks to support the housing management service.
Our Income Recovery Team
Our income recovery team look after our rents and help support residents to pay their rent and avoid court action.
For information about your rent and our service, visit the rents section of our website.
To contact the Income Recovery Team call 01304 801084 and select option 1.
Income Collection/Recovery Officers
Our Income Recovery/Collection Officers are responsible for:
- Regularly monitoring rent accounts and promptly contacting tenants who miss payments,
- Taking payments.
- Processing of Direct Debits and refunds,
- Negotiating repayment agreements.
- Case management and escalation to more formal legal action where needed.
- Preparing and issuing Notices.
- Liaising with the Legal team.
- Processing of Housing Verification forms from the DWP,
- Managing and monitoring Court and Eviction cases.
- Ensuring tenants receive appropriate support and advice to enable them to receive their full benefit entitlement.
- Provide basic debt and welfare benefit advise, including referral to and liaison with external agencies and the Money and Benefit Advisor.
Benefit and Money Advisors
Our benefits and money advisors offer our tenants:
- Comprehensive welfare benefits and money/financial inclusion advice to help them maximise their income and minimising rent arrears.
- Information and advice on Welfare Reform changes as they relate to Housing and other Benefits, help identify vulnerable tenants to target support to them.
- Support tenants to take up appropriate benefits and return to work initiatives.
- Practical support to address debts and manage and budget their income.
- Provides support to all new tenants to help prevent them falling into rent arrears and sustain tenancies.
- Keeps abreast of and disseminates information on all national and local benefits changes, both legislative and administrative, through research and maintaining networks
Our Tenant Engagement and Continuous Improvement Officer works along side our Housing Management team and is responsible for:
- Creating ways in which customers can work with us to improve and shape our services
- Facilitating consultations with tenants and leaseholders
- Supporting established tenant groups, including focus groups, tenant groups and special interest groups
- Organising and attending community events
- Performance reporting and facilitating customer scrutiny
- Facilitating transactional surveys and perception surveys
- Writing Keep Me Posted updates
- Involvement in additional projects which aim to improve the services provided, such as communications, newsletters and website updates.
To contact Beth, email tenantinvolvement@dover.gov.uk.
To keep updated with the latest news and consultations about the housing for tenants service, please sign up to Keep Me Posted and tick 'Housing For Tenants'.