Housing manager

Housing manager article illustration

Description

Housing managers oversee housing services for tenants or residents. They work for housing associations or private organisations for which they collect rental fees, inspect properties, suggest and implement improvements concerning repairs or neighbour nuissance issues, maintain communication with tenants, handle housing applications and liaise with local authorities and property managers. They hire, train and supervise personnel.

Housing managers typically do the following:

  • set rents, administer collections, and develop policies to deal with and minimise arrears
  • interview tenants and give advice on tenant-landlord relationships, house purchasing and benefits
  • inspect properties
  • process applications for housing improvements and repairs and communicating outcomes to tenants
  • manage improvement loans and grants and administering repair and maintenance programmes
  • manage nuisance orders, collect information and refer cases to the neighbourhood nuisance team
  • prepare cases and attend court hearings
  • handle breaches of tenancy and leasehold agreements, which could culminate in carrying out evictions
  • deal with abandoned tenancies, squatters and unauthorised occupiers
  • deal with housing applications and the transfer of existing tenants
  • liaise with tenant groups, local authority councillors, property professionals and other support and welfare organisations, including social workers and estate agents
  • communicate with wardens, caretakers, cleaners and maintenance staff
  • encourage and support tenants and residents groups and attend meetings as required
  • plan and implement slum clearance and the demolition of unused properties
  • maintain records and writing reports
  • recruit, train, supervise and monitor staff workloads
  • generate revenue and implement budgets
  • identify housing needs
  • develop new housing schemes by reusing existing stock or managing new builds
  • evaluate the efficiency of housing schemes
  • build relationships with the community
  • interpret and implement housing legislation
  • recommend and develop local authority policies
  • monitor and update contractors’ lists
  • investigate and respond to client complaints.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to housing manager:

housing agent
housing officer
neighbourhood manager
housing administrator
housing coordinator

Working conditions

Housing managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of housing developments or complexes. They oversee the maintenance of the buildings and grounds, manage the staff, and handle the finances.

Housing managers usually work in an office, but they may also spend time inspecting the property and meeting with residents. Some housing managers work for private companies that own and operate housing developments, while others work for public housing agencies.

Housing managers typically work full time and may be on call 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies.

Minimum qualifications

Housing managers are typically required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as social work, public administration, business administration, or community development. Some housing managers choose to earn a master’s degree in social work or public administration to increase their earning potential and qualify for senior-level positions.

Housing managers typically receive on-the-job training in the form of an apprenticeship or internship. During these periods, they work closely with experienced housing managers to learn the skills and techniques they need to succeed in their roles.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Housing manager is a Skill level 3 occupation.

Housing manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to housing manager.

real estate leasing manager
property acquisitions manager
real estate manager
property appraiser
real estate investor

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of housing manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of housing manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

insurance product manager
insurance claims manager
investor relations manager
investment manager
banking products manager

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of housing manager.

  • Financial statements: The set of financial records disclosing the financial position of a company at the end of a set period or of the accounting year. The financial statements consisting of five parts which are the statement of financial position, the statement of comprehensive income, the statement of changes in equity (SOCE), the statement of cash flows and notes.
  • Financial management: The field of finance that concerns the practical process analysis and tools for designating financial resources. It encompasses the structure of businesses, the investment sources, and the value increase of corporations due to managerial decision-making.
  • Building codes: The set of guidelines that determine the minimum standards for buildings and other constructions in order to protect public health and safety.
  • Corporate social responsibility: The handling or managing of business processes in a responsible and ethical manner considering the economic responsibility towards shareholders as equally important as the responsibility towards environmental and social stakeholders.
  • Building construction principles: The component elements and principles of building construction such as types of wall construction and foundations, defects in walls and roofs and ways to address such defects.
  • Financial analysis: The process of assessing the financial possibilities, means, and status of an organisation or individual by analysing financial statements and reports in order to make well informed business or financial decisions.
  • Property law: The law and legislation that regulates all the different ways to handle property, such as the types of property, how to handle property disputes and property contract rules.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of housing manager.

  • Assess construction compliance: Determine whether a construction complies with laws and regulations.
  • Enforce financial policies: Read, understand, and enforce the abidance of the financial policies of the company in regards with all the fiscal and accounting proceedings of the organisation.
  • Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
  • Analyse market financial trends: Monitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.
  • Strive for company growth: Develop strategies and plans aiming at achieving a sustained company growth, be the company self-owned or somebody else’s. Strive with actions to increase revenues and positive cash flows.
  • Create a financial plan: Develop a financial plan according to financial and client regulations, including an investor profile, financial advice, and negotiation and transaction plans.
  • Plan allocation of space: Plan best allocation and utilisation of space and resources, or re-organise current premises.
  • Inform on renting agreements: Inform landlords or tenants of a property on the duties and rights of the landlord and tenant, such as the landlord’s responsibility for the upkeep of the property and the eviction rights in the event of a breach of contract, and the tenant’s responsibility to pay rent in a timely manner and avoid negligence.
  • Manage personnel: Hire and train employees to increase their value to the organisation. This includes a range of human resources activity, developing and implementing policies and processes to create an employee-supportive work environment.
  • Investigate social security applications: Investigate the eligibility of citizens applying for social security benefits by examining documents, interviewing the citizen, and researching the related legislation.
  • Collect rental fees: Receive and process payments from tenants of properties, such as residential or commercial properties, ensuring that the paid rent is in accordance with the contract and that rental fees are paid in a timely manner.
  • Liaise with property owners: Establish good working relations with the owner, signal problems and renovation needs, and advise on the choice of tenants.
  • Advise on financial matters: Consult, advise, and propose solutions with regards to financial management such as acquiring new assets, incurring in investments, and tax efficiency methods.
  • Analyse financial performance of a company: Based on accounts, records, financial statements and external information of the market, analyse the performance of the company in financial matters in order to identify improvement actions that could increase profit.
  • Handle tenant changeover: Discuss administrative matters with the previous and future tenants and inspect the rented accomodation (rooms, apartments, houses) to make sure that the renovation and maintenance agreement has been respected.
  • Provide information on properties: Provide information on the positive and negative aspects of a property and the practicalities concerning any financial transactions or insurance procedures; such as location, composition of the property, renovation or repair needs, the cost of the property and the costs related to insurance.
  • Examine the conditions of buildings: Monitor and assess the conditions of buildings in order to detect faults, structural problems, and damages. Assess general building cleanliness for grounds maintenance and real estate purposes.
  • Plan health and safety procedures: Set up procedures for maintaining and improving health and safety in the workplace.
  • Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.
  • Follow company standards: Lead and manage according to the organisation’s code of conduct.
  • Communicate with tenants: Communicate in a positive and cooperative manner with the tenants of a property or part of a property, such as apartments and sections of commercial buildings, in order to facilitate efficient procedures in terms of rent and other contractual agreements as well as to ensure their satisfaction.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of housing manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Government social security programmes: The different areas of social security provided by the government, the different rights which citizens have, which benefits are available, the rules which regulate social security and the different situations in which they apply.
  • Energy performance of buildings: Factors that contribute to lower energy consumption of buildings. Building and renovation techniques used to achieve this. Legislation and procedures regarding energy performance of buildings.
  • Fire safety regulations: The legal rules to be applied for fire safety and fire prevention in a facility.
  • Real estate market: The trends concerning the buying, selling, or renting of property, including the land, buildings, and natural resources encompassed within the property; the categories of residential properties and properties for business purposes which such properties are traded in.
  • Public housing legislation: The regulations and legislation concerning the construction, maintenance and allocation of public housing facilities.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of housing manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Collect property financial information: Collect information concerning the previous transactions involving the property, such as the prices at which the property had been previously sold and the costs that went into renovations and repairs, in order to obtain a clear image of the property’s value.
  • Work within communities: Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.
  • Build community relations: Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
  • Obtain financial information: Gather information on securities, market conditions, governmental regulations and the financial situation, goals and needs of clients or companies.
  • Supervise property development projects: Supervise the operations of new projects relating to property development, such as renovation, re-leasing, purchasing of land, building projects, and sale of improved properties. Ensure that the operations are profitable, occur in a timely manner, and are compliant with regulations.
  • Prepare inventory of properties: List all the items present in a property building which is leased or rented, in order to have a contractual agreement between the owner and the tenant.
  • Report major building repairs: Notify the supervisors or managers concerning the need to undertake major repairs or adjustments to the building.
  • Plan buildings maintenance work: Schedule maintenance activities of property, systems and services to be deployed in public or private buildings, according to the priorities and needs of the client.
  • Perform property market research: Research properties in order to assess their usefulness for real estate activities, using various methods such as media research and visitation of properties, and identify the potential profitability in the development and trading of the property.
  • Organise property viewing: Organise events in which prospective buyers or tenants of a property can visit the property in order to assess whether it is suitable to their needs and to obtain information, and organise plans to liaise with the prospective customers in order to secure a contract.
  • Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.
  • Organise a damage assessment: Organise a damage assessment by indicating an expert to identify and examine the damage, give information and instructions to experts and follow up on the experts, and write a damage report.

ISCO group and title

3334 – Real estate agents and property managers


References
  1. Housing manager – ESCO
  2. Housing manager/officer job profile | Prospects.ac.uk
  3. Housing Manager Job Description: Salary, Duties, & More – Climb the Ladder
  4. Featured image: By Acroterion – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated on February 5, 2023

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