Faculty/Administrative/Service Department / Accommodation Services
Job Title / Lettings Coordinator
Job Family / Professional Services / Job Level / 3
Responsible to / Letting Agency Manager
Responsible for (Staff) / Occasional supervision of temporary / contract staff and colleagues from within the department
Job Purpose Statement
The post holder will be part of a team supporting the day-to-day running of the University’s private sector Lettings Agency. They will work with the Letting Agency Manager to ensure that the agency’s core mission of providing a high quality and financially sustainable commercial service to landlords is successfully combined with providing a free-to-use and comprehensive advice and support service to University students. The post holder will work with both landlords and tenants to ensure a positive experience throughout their interactions with the service. They will play a key role in recruiting new landlords to utilise the agency.
Key Responsibilities This document is not designed to be a list of all tasks undertaken but an outline record of the main responsibilities (5 to 8 maximum)
1. Work with the Letting Agency Manager to set up and launch the new agency, including designing processes and procedures, branding product and working with colleagues from across the University to raise awareness of this new service.
2. Actively seek to increase the number of landlords utilising the services of the new agency.
3. Manage landlord and tenant relationships on a day-to-day basis.
4. Undertake advertising and viewings of properties.
5. Keep systems and software up-to-date in relation to property, landlord and tenant details, ensuring that items are logged / recorded in a timely fashion.
6. Provide advice and guidance to students, tenants and landlords on their rights and responsibilities, including providing guidance on the local housing conditions within Guildford and other local towns.
7. Supervise temporary and contract staff or colleagues from within the department to help support the work of the agency, especially during busy times i.e. September and March.
8. Support the work to create and maintain the systems, processes, procedures and policies necessary to manage an efficient and high quality service.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:
· Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the University of Surrey Equal Opportunities Policy.· Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.
· Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result from their actions.
· Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.
· Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.
· Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:
· Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and techniques demand.
· Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.
Elements of the Role
This section outlines some of the key elements of the role, which allow this role to be evaluated within the University’s structure. It provides an overview of what is expected from the post holder in the day-to-day operation of the role.
Planning and Organising
· The agency is a new venture for the University so the role holder will be part of a team who will develop this new service, building upon limited existing structures.
· Residential rentals involves a range of statutory obligations and processes so good levels of personal organisation and planning ability are required.
· The post holder will have considerable scope to plan their day-to-day work, dealing with any conflicting priorities that occur, whilst working within the annual cycle of the department.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
· The unit will operate as a combination of traditional commercial letting agency and a vital source of student advice and support, so the post holder will need to be confident to make the decisions necessary to balance the two core objectives.
· The role will involve being part of the team who will respond to the pressures caused by demand for student accommodation exceeding available supply, both on and off campus, so will require the post holder to be able to interpret and react to student population and local market intelligence.
· The post holder will be required to deal with situations where the decision will be found by consulting both University procedures and by utilising their professional knowledge, at times having to give difficult news to customers and referring the more complex cases to their manager.
Continuous Improvement.
· The post holder will be expected to identify areas where improvements are possible; via discussions with their manager, they may then implement the change.
· The post holder will be expected to remain fully up-to-date with emerging housing and other relevant legislation by attending conferences, industry meetings and local forums. Comprehensive management and other training will be provided by the University.
Accountability
· The post holder will aid the financial sustainability of the agency by building up the stock it manages and by ensuring positive working relationships with local landlords.
· The post holder will support the aim of the agency to provide trusted advice to students.
Dimensions of the role
· The business will be launched with an opening portfolio of approximately 400 bed spaces to manage and a turnover of c. £700k. The post holder will aid work to increase the volume of rooms managed and the financial returns generated.
· The post holder will occasional supervise temporary / contract staff or colleagues from within the department.
· The agency will be managed within Accommodation and Business Support Services, a team of circa 30 FTE, the post holder will enjoy substantial interaction and support from these colleagues.
Supplementary Information
· Not applicable.
Person Specification This section describes the sum total of knowledge, experience & competence required by the post holder that is necessary for standard acceptable performance in carrying out this role.
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
HNC, A level, NVQ 3, HND level or equivalent with a number of years' relevant experience;
or
Broad vocational experience, acquired through a combination of job-related vocational training and considerable on-the-job experience, demonstrating development through involvement in a series of progressively more demanding relevant work/roles. / E
Holding or working towards appropriate professional housing qualification / D
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance). / Essential/
Desirable / Level
1-3
Good working knowledge of private sector residential lettings market / E / 2
Good IT skills with the ability to use standard packages, relevant specialist software and web resources including social media / E / 2
Good working knowledge of housing conditions in Guildford and surrounding towns / D / n/a
Special Requirements: / Essential/
Desirable
Capacity to work unsocial hours during very busy times (e.g. weekends and evenings) / E
Full driving licence as required to undertake viewings and visit properties / E
Part of on-call arrangement to cover emergency situations / E
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a requirement of the grade. / Level
1-3
Communication
Adaptability / Flexibility
Customer/Client service and support
Planning and Organising
Continuous Improvement
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
Creative and Analytical Thinking
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
Strategic Thinking & Leadership / 3
2
3
2
2
2
1
1
2
n/a
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
Accommodation Services exists within the Traded Services and Business Support Directorate. The team manage accommodation across all main University sites and private properties within Guildford. The service manages 5,100 units of campus based accommodation, approx. 400 units of private sector accommodation and several residential receptions. The team aim to ensure students, staff and visitors to the University are accommodated within, or provided guidance on finding, safe, secure accommodation across a range of budgets.
Department Structure Chart
Relationships
Internal· Students and their representatives i.e. parents or agents
· Day to day interaction with colleagues from within Accommodation and Business Support Services
· Regular interaction with colleagues from Student Services, Students’ Union and Security
External
· Local landlords, external contractors, local letting agencies and other industry players
· Some interaction with neighbours of University managed properties and other community representation