jobfacts

Housing officer

Housing officers — SOC 2020 3223

Housing officers assess and address housing needs of particular localities and individuals and oversee the day-to-day management of rented properties belonging to local authorities or housing associations.

Also calledTenancy officerNeighbourhood housing officerSupport officerSupport workerHostel officerHousing needs officerand 28 more titles
Typical full-time pay£34,7002025 Provisional
People in the job58,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,400↓ 0.4%on last year · 145th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time housing officers earn between £29,300 and £39,300 a year.

What full-time housing officers earn, 2025
£34,700 typical£25,100lowest 10%£29,30025%£40,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£29,300–£39,300)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£25,100
Lowest 20% earn less than£27,800
25%£29,300
Median£34,700
75%£39,300
Top 20% earn more than£40,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £34,700
Scotland!£39,000
South East£37,900
London!£37,000
Wales!£34,600
East Midlands!£34,100
East of England!£32,900
North West!£32,600
Yorkshire and The Humber!£31,700
North East!£28,500
West Midlands!£27,900
South WestNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £34,700
Scotland£39,000 (small sample)
South East£37,900
London£37,000 (small sample)
Wales£34,600 (small sample)
East Midlands£34,100 (small sample)
East of England£32,900 (small sample)
North West£32,600 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£31,700 (small sample)
North East£28,500 (small sample)
West Midlands£27,900 (small sample)
South WestNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £31,800
  • 2024 £33,300
  • 2025 Provisional£34,700
↑ 9% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,400 jobs for housing officers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,496
Jul 20261,462
Jun 2026Not published
May 20261,392
Apr 20261,471
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,228
Jan 20261,508
Dec 2025670
Nov 20251,399
Oct 20251,522
Sept 20251,572
Aug 20251,521
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,651
Apr 20251,415
Mar 20251,497
Feb 20251,458
Jan 20251,423
Dec 2024802
Nov 20241,327
Oct 20241,282
Sept 20241,429
Aug 20241,533
Jul 20241,541
Jun 20241,592
May 20241,704
Apr 20241,680
Mar 20241,330
Feb 20241,308
Jan 20241,617
Dec 20231,269
Nov 20231,369
Oct 20231,365
Sept 20231,272
Aug 20231,438
Jul 20231,596
Jun 20231,915
May 20231,804
Apr 20231,618
Mar 20231,742
Feb 20231,661
Jan 20232,001
Dec 20221,455
Nov 20221,976
Oct 20221,965
Sept 20221,881
Aug 20222,022
Jul 20222,024
Jun 20221,919
May 20222,051
Apr 20221,733
Mar 20221,989
Feb 20221,756
Jan 20221,986
Dec 20211,593
Nov 20211,918
Oct 20211,841
Sept 20211,763
Aug 20211,649
Jul 20211,849
Jun 20211,638
May 20211,533
Apr 20211,215
Mar 20211,684
Feb 20211,117
Jan 20211,260
Dec 2020955
Nov 20201,076
Oct 20201,328
Sept 20201,187
Aug 20201,190
Jul 20201,181
Jun 2020991
May 2020770
Apr 2020787
Mar 20201,326
Feb 20201,554
Jan 20201,475
Dec 2019919
Nov 20191,214
Oct 20191,242
Sept 20191,228
Aug 20191,168
Jul 20191,355
Jun 20191,287
May 20191,129
Apr 2019884
Mar 2019896
Feb 2019872
Jan 20191,073
Dec 2018662
Nov 2018884
Oct 2018972
Sept 20181,051
Aug 20181,039
Jul 20181,008
Jun 2018988
May 2018883
Apr 2018835
Mar 2018936
Feb 2018878
Jan 2018968
Dec 2017635
Nov 2017888
Oct 2017858
Sept 2017924
Aug 20171,051
Jul 2017923
Jun 20171,041
May 2017980
Apr 20171,034
Mar 20171,140
Feb 2017886
Jan 20171,037
Is there a shortage of housing officers?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was not high.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
36%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for welfare and housing associate professionals, which includes housing officers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London563
Birmingham112
Manchester95
Bristol, City of59
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole47
Nottingham41
Sheffield40
Somerset39
Leeds38
North Northamptonshire35
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where housing officers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of housing officers
2.1%!
19%!
23%!
26%!
27%!
3.5%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–242.1% (small sample)
25–3419% (small sample)
35–4423% (small sample)
45–5426% (small sample)
55–6427% (small sample)
65+3.5% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent35%
Higher education below degree!12%
A levels or equivalent30%
GCSEs or equivalent!14%
Other qualifications!4.4%
No qualifications!2.2%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent35%
Higher education below degree12% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent30%
GCSEs or equivalent14% (small sample)
Other qualifications4.4% (small sample)
No qualifications2.2% (small sample)

Main employers: renting and operating of own or leased real estate (30%), general public administration activities (17%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (13%), construction of residential and non-residential buildings (7.1%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
35%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
1
from level 3
Apprenticeships take
18 months
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could complete a foundation degree or degree in:

  • housing studies
  • social policy
  • building surveying
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

College

You can do a college course, which would give you some of the skills needed to get a trainee position. Courses include:

  • housing practice
  • business administration
  • T Level in Management and Administration
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship with a housing organisation or local authority housing department.

These include:

  • Housing Property Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Housing and Property Management Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship
  • Senior Housing and Property Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship

You could also apply for a place on a Policy Officer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, if you want to work in a policy development role.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You may be able to start as a housing or admin assistant and work your way up. You could do this through on-the-job training leading to a qualification like the Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Housing Practice, offered by the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Volunteering

You may find it useful to get some work experience with a housing charity, local tenants' association or community organisation. This could help when you apply for housing officer jobs.

You can search for voluntary opportunities in your area through Do it and The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

Other routes

You may be able to apply to a local authority or housing association for a place on a graduate training scheme, like the GEM programme. This is open to graduates of any subject and non graduates who are already working in housing.

What you’ll need

  • pass background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You could work for a local authority, a housing association or a charity like Shelter. You could also work for a university student accommodation service or property company.

Further information

You can get more advice about careers and training in housing from the Chartered Institute of Housing.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for housing officer. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

1 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • oversees the day-to-day running of rented properties including arranging for the signing of leases, rent collection and maintenance work
  • interviews prospective tenants and allocates properties to waiting list applicants
  • carries out regular inspections of properties to assess and ensure they are in a good state of repair
  • ensures that special needs accommodation is suited to the needs of particular groups such as the elderly and disabled, and that statutory requirements for providing accommodation are met
  • refers tenants to appropriate sources of benefits and welfare
  • deals with payment of rents and arrears, arranges for legal action where necessary
  • supports tenants’ groups
  • works closely with other agencies such as social services departments and welfare rights groups

Skills

  • listen actively
  • contribute to protecting individuals from harm
  • advocate for social service users
  • apply person-centred care
  • apply quality standards in social services
  • assess social service users' situation
  • maintain records of work with service users
  • manage social crisis
  • protect vulnerable social service users
  • relate empathetically
  • accept own accountability
  • adhere to organisational guidelines
  • apply holistic approach within social services
  • apply organisational techniques

Knowledge

  • legal requirements in the social sector
  • company policies
  • crisis intervention
  • family law

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for health and social care associate professionals, a group of 13 jobs that includes housing officers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 12%about 82,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 2035492,000including people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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