Springs Tenant Management Co-operative, 55 Dorset Drive, Bury. BL9 9DN

Job Description

Job Title: Estate Caretaker/Handy Person

Responsible To: Housing Officer, Director

Hours of work: 21 hours per week

Salary Scale: NJC S/C 14-17. £15,725.00 - £16,830.00pa (pro rata).

Job purpose:

To work as a member of the estate team. To ensure that generally, the cleanliness, security and repair of the estate areas, properties and common places is maintained to the required standard at all times and improved where possible by offering advice, support and assistance to residents as required.

Main Duties:

1. Maintenance.

  • Be watchful for items of maintenance, defects, deterioration in the fabric and fittings inside or outside of the buildings. Report any repairs or problems to the Housing Officer. Log such items in the site diary.
  • Arrange access for contractors and maintenance workers where appropriate and act as a liaison between tenants and the Co-op’s contractors as necessary.
  • Checking on the completion of works to communal parts and ensuring that they have been carried out to a satisfactory standard.
  • Pre and Post-inspecting some day-to-day repairs under instruction from the Housing Officer or Director.
  • Post-inspection of contractors work to ensure a good standard is being achieved
  • Dealing with minor repairs where possible without the necessity of calling in the co-op’s contractors and always as agreed with the Housing Officer or Director. Log in the site diary. Generally such works will be those which can be completed within an hour and will be of only a minor nature. Examples are shown on the list in Appendix A.
  • Maintenance of any tools and spares kept by the Co-op.
  • Stock control and purchase of minor materials under supervision from the Housing Officer.
  • Administration, record keeping and reporting in connection with the above.

2.Cleaning

To maintain a high standard of cleanliness throughout the estate with particular regard to:

  • External areas including parking bays, footpaths and hard areas, grassed and shrubbed areas, grids, drains, gulleys and common parts, stairways and rails, light fittings, walls, doors and windows etc. keeping the estate clean and litter free
  • Arranging for the placing and use of rubbish skips as appropriate and removing accumulations of rubbish in fulfilling the general duties of the post.
  • Ensuring that all internal common stairways are kept clean and litter free by applying the conditions of the tenancy agreement and discussing with tenants to raise general awareness and standards and reporting back to the Housing Officer where issues cannot be resolved.
  • Clearing out void properties and carrying out cleaning works to bring dwellings up to an acceptable standard for viewing and letting.
  • Keeping clean any areas designated as being the landlords responsibility.
  • Prompty removing all graffiti where possible. Logging in site diary the type of graffiti eg. general, racist etc.

3. Security/Safety

  • Ensure that there is a safe level of lighting on all staircases and common areas where this is the landlords responsibility and reporting back any problems.
  • Carry out necessary works in relation to snow and ice on the estate as is reasonable.
  • To work as part of a team to ensure as far as possible that the estate is kept free from vandalism, with particular regard to common staircases, fencing, landlords fittings etc and to report back on any areas of concern to the Housing Officer.
  • Respond to any emergency situations which might arise on the estate if required.
  • Boarding up and maintaining the security of empty properties. Reporting any discovered empty properties to the Housing Officer.

4. Site Maintenance.

  • Keep an eye on empty properties and any storage areas, rooms etc owned by the Co-op or designed to be the landlords responsibility to ensure their security.
  • Advise new tenants on the operation of heating systems, fixtures and fittings etc and provide general advice and supports to tenants moving into a Co-op property.
  • Carry out weekly site inspections, record and act on all issues and/or problems identified.
  • Ensure that empty properties are kept tidy and that the garden areas are trimmed, lawns mowed etc to keep the dwelling at an acceptable viewing standard.
  • To carry out any external cleaning or minor painting to empty properties as instructed by the Housing Officer as being in the interests of maintaining the dwelling in a lettable condition.
  • Be available for occasional out of hours work which may be required.
  • Keep a watching brief on vulnerable tenants. Advise Housing Officer where a vulnerable tenant requires assistance.
  • Attendance at Committee Meetings and Residents Meetings as requested and where appropriate.
  • To promote the Co-ops aims and objectives in developing a caring community through day-to-day duties and contact with residents.
  • Carry out any other reasonable duties requested by the Housing Officer or Director.

Appendix A.

List of repairs to be undertaken by the Estate Caretaker/Handy Person.

  • Minor repairs to fencing and treating fencing.
  • Cleaning gulleys, drainage system cleaning and clearing wastes at lower levels.
  • Replacing locks.
  • Replacing tap washers, clearing blocked wastes on sinks and wash hand basins.
  • Checking fuses. Changing fluorescent tubes and starters.
  • Cleaning out empty properties as directed by the Housing Officer or Director.
  • Clearing accumulations of refuse in gardens. Organising skips, sweeping and keeping free from litter any footpaths, common areas, parking areas etc. Clearing out the gardens of empty dwellings under instruction from the Housing Officer or Director.
  • Cleaning Graffiti.
  • Limited garden maintenance for the elderly or other vulnerable tenants.
  • Plaster patching and filling of minor plaster damage.
  • Delivering leaflets and newsletters on the estate.
  • Gain access to locked properties.
  • Empty property inspections.
  • Repair/renew ball taps and small leaks.
  • Collect materials.
  • Assist the Housing Officer at evictions.
  • Apply sealant to baths, wash hand basins and sink units.

This schedule is provided as an example of the type of work that could be reasonably expected of the caretaker. It is not necessarily exhaustive.

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