Senior Housing Environmental Health Officer

Senior Housing Environmental Health Officer

Temporary Contract

Job Details

Client: Swale and Maidstone Borough Council

Service Area: Housing & Community Services - Private Sector Housing

Hours: 28 hours per week

Start Date: 18 May 2026

Duration: 12 weeks

Working Pattern:4 days per week, 7 hours per day - 2 days office / onsite visits and 2 days working from home

Location

Office Base:

East Street

Sittingbourne

Kent

ME10 3HT

Pay

PAYE Rate:£22.56 per hour

Job Overview

Swale and Maidstone Borough Council is seeking an experienced Senior Housing Environmental Health Officer to lead and manage the day-to-day delivery of private sector housing functions relating to housing improvement across the borough.

This role will manage a caseload and take enforcement action to tackle disrepair, energy deficiencies, HHSRS hazards, HMO licensing and enforcement, empty dwellings, drainage and related private sector housing issues.

The successful candidate will provide technical leadership, supervise officers within the team and help ensure a high-quality, customer-focused private sector housing service.

Important - Please Read Carefully

This role requires strong private sector housing enforcement experience, including HHSRS, housing disrepair, HMO licensing and statutory enforcement.

You must have experience undertaking inspections, serving notices and progressing enforcement action in a local authority environmental health or private sector housing team.

Candidates without this level of private sector housing / environmental health enforcement experience are unlikely to be considered.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage day-to-day private sector housing enforcement activity
• Undertake inspections, investigations, surveys and assessments of residential properties, caravan sites and drainage issues
• Identify defects and hazards and take appropriate enforcement action
• Use HHSRS and relevant housing legislation to tackle disrepair and energy deficiencies
• Undertake HMO licensing and enforcement duties
• Manage empty dwellings and related housing improvement work
• Serve statutory notices and undertake enforcement through advice, mediation, negotiation and legal action where necessary
• Attend court or tribunals as an expert witness
• Obtain warrants and arrange works in default where required
• Organise and supervise workloads of technical enforcement staff
• Draft reports, procedures and legal notices in response to legislation and case law changes
• Lead on designated service areas, particularly HMO work, and produce reports for government and committee purposes
• Provide advice to Members, managers and professionals on housing and public health issues
• Design and organise events and landlord forums to promote service objectives
• Provide specialist housing and environmental health advice and training

Essential Experience & Skills

• Strong experience in private sector housing / environmental health enforcement
• Experience using HHSRS and relevant enforcement powers
• Experience in housing disrepair, HMO licensing and enforcement
• Experience undertaking inspections, investigations and statutory enforcement action
• Experience serving notices, attending court / tribunal and progressing legal action
• Experience supervising or overseeing technical enforcement staff
• Strong report writing and procedure drafting skills
• Good knowledge of housing legislation, environmental health practice and local authority enforcement
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills

Additional Information

This senior post has been vacant for over a year and the council is seeking highly experienced interim support, particularly with the Renters Rights Act changes approaching.

Disclaimer

On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role.

I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify Fix Space Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.