First Officer

Location: On site / Watford, UK
Job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector: Housing | Housing Association
Annual Salary Range: £30,000 – £35,000
Hours: 37 per week

Chime Housing

Salary: £30,000 – £35,000 - 37 hours per week

Are you passionate about changing lives through housing? If you’re someone who combines strong housing management expertise with empathy, resilience and a can‑do attitude, we want to hear from you.

We’re looking for a dedicated and proactive Housing First Officer to join our Housing Operations team. This is more than just a housing role — it’s an opportunity to support people with complex needs to sustain tenancies, rebuild independence, and thrive in their communities.

As a Housing First Officer, you will deliver a high‑quality, person‑centred housing management service to customers in our Housing First and Next Step programmes.

You’ll take ownership of tenancies from pre‑assessment through to sustainment, ensuring customers receive tailored support while meeting essential housing management standards.

• Managing a portfolio of tenancies, ensuring residents are supported to maintain long‑term, stable housing
• Carrying out pre‑tenancy assessments, property inspections, and tenancy reviews
• Supporting residents with rent management and reducing arrears through payment planning and monitoring
• Handling anti‑social behaviour, tenancy breaches, and complex casework with professionalism and care
• Working with partners, support agencies, and stakeholders to ensure a joined‑up service
• Representing the organisation in court and at community or stakeholder meetings
• Ensuring properties are safe, compliant, and re‑let quickly to minimise void loss
• Playing a key role in delivering a trauma‑informed, customer‑first approach

• Experience in housing management, ideally within social housing
• Strong understanding of rent recovery, tenancy enforcement, and housing legislation
• Experience working with individuals with complex needs (e.g. mental health, substance misuse, domestic abuse)
• Excellent communication, negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast‑paced environment
• A full driving licence and access to a car with business insurance
• Knowledge or experience of the Housing First model
• CIH qualification or equivalent

• Responsible to:
  Temporary Accommodation Team Leader
• Department:
  Housing Operations

• 28 days’ annual leave (pro rata)
• Employer pension contribution of up to 11%

We embrace agile working — blending time in our communities, shared spaces, and remote working. With digital technology at the heart of our approach, we empower teams and individuals to work flexibly.