Tenancy Relations Team Manager

Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values. Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn't stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.

Our Benefits and Homeless Prevention Service has responsibility for all areas of homelessness; from rough sleeping to housing allocations as well as the assessment of Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and the Here to Help Service. This innovative approach is helping us provide a more joined-up service and more focused support for those in Hackney that are at risk of homelessness.

We are currently recruiting for a proactive and knowledgeable Tenancy Relations Team Manager to lead the mobilisation, development, and operational management of a new Tenancy Relations Service within Benefits and Homelessness Prevention. In this vital leadership role, you will manage a team of Tenancy Relations Officers to ensure the effective delivery of a service that prevents homelessness in the private rented sector and reduces reliance on temporary accommodation.

You will be responsible for establishing the service model, referral pathways, operating procedures, and quality assurance arrangements from the ground up, ensuring the service is embedded effectively across Housing Needs, legal services, enforcement, safeguarding partners and external stakeholders. Acting as the lead expert, you will guide the team in maintaining private rented sector tenancies, implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and representing the service at London-wide and national levels., Operationally lead, motivate, and performance-manage the Tenancy Relations Officers, fostering a strong performance culture to deliver on KPI targets and service standards.
Establish and maintain service model frameworks, operating procedures, practice guidance, referral pathways, and caseworker thresholds for the new service.
Act as the lead expert for the service, providing guidance on complex casework including the validity of eviction notices, landlord harassment, and illegal evictions.
Manage the team's response to complex and politically sensitive enquiries from residents, advocates, MPs, and elected officials, including overseeing service investigations and enforcement standards.
Direct and quality-assure the team's landlord-tenant mediation strategies and court/tribunal representation to prevent homelessness and promote housing stability.
Effectively manage the function's resources and annual budget of approximately £50,000 in compliance with the Council's delegated powers.

High-level knowledge of the private rented sector, housing needs legislation, case law, and detailed landlord-tenant law (including possession proceedings, unlawful evictions, and the Renters' Rights Act 2025).
Proven experience in operationally managing and performance-managing a team, including workload allocation, staff appraisals, and managing demand peaks and troughs.
Experience in managing demanding caseloads, administering budgets and resources, and producing annual service plans and performance reports for senior management.
Strong grasp of safeguarding responsibilities and identifying risks relating to vulnerable children and adults.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills, with the ability to manage highly emotive situations and present information clearly to diverse audiences.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.