Housing interview prep

🏠 Your Goal Roles (what you’re aiming for)

You’re targeting roles like:

* 🏡 Housing Options Officer

* 🧾 Housing Officer Assistant

* 🧠 Homelessness Prevention / Housing Advice roles

* 🏢 Council housing / allocations / tenancy support

In Sutton, this usually sits within:

London Borough of Sutton Housing Services

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🎯 What you MUST be good at by Jan 2027

These roles are less about academic knowledge and more about:

1. 🧑‍⚖ Housing law basics

You don’t need to be a lawyer — but you DO need working knowledge of:

* Housing Act 1996 (Part 6 & 7)

* Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

* “Priority need”, “intentional homelessness”, “local connection”

* Duty to refer (public bodies referring vulnerable people)

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2. 🧍‍♂ Real-life casework thinking

You’ll be expected to:

* Assess urgency (risk of homelessness)

* Gather facts quickly

* Make fair, evidence-based decisions

* Write clear case notes

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3. 💬 Communication under pressure

* De-escalating angry / distressed clients

* Explaining legal decisions in plain English

* Managing vulnerable people (mental health, DV, refugees, etc.)

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4. 📁 Admin + systems thinking

* Accurate record keeping

* GDPR compliance

* CRM systems (council case management systems)

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🗓 Your Timeline (now → Jan 2027)

🟢 Phase 1: Foundations (Now → Aug 2026)

Goal: Build knowledge + confidence

You focus on:

* Housing law basics (light but consistent)

* Understanding homelessness process

* Reading real council policies

* Learning key terminology

Weekly routine:

* 2–3 hrs: housing learning

* 1 hr: case scenario practice

* 1 hr: writing (case notes / summaries)

What to learn:

* What councils legally must do when someone is homeless

* Difference between:

* Prevention duty

* Relief duty

* Main housing duty

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🟡 Phase 2: Skills Building (Sept → Nov 2026)

Goal: Start thinking like a housing officer

You focus on:

* Mock case assessments

* Writing decisions clearly

* Practice interview answers

* Understanding safeguarding situations

Weekly routine:

* 2 mock cases per week

* 1 timed written response

* 1 behavioural interview practice session

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🔥 Key skill upgrade here:

You stop “learning housing” and start:

“deciding what I would do in this case and why”

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🔵 Phase 3: Job Readiness (Dec 2026 → Jan 2027)

Goal: Pass interviews

You focus on:

* Competency interviews (STAR method)

* Real council-style scenarios

* Speed + clarity under pressure

Weekly routine:

* 2 full mock interviews

* 1 written test practice

* 1 role-play (difficult customer scenario)

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📚 What to study (simple roadmap)

🏠 Housing Knowledge Core

You want to be comfortable with:

* Homelessness applications process

* Priority need categories

* Intentional homelessness

* Suitability of accommodation

* Temporary accommodation basics

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⚖ Key laws (don’t overcomplicate it)

Just focus on understanding, not memorising:

* Housing Act 1996 (Part VII)

* Homelessness Reduction Act 2017

* Children Act (safeguarding link)

* Domestic Abuse Act (housing impact)

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🧠 Core council skills

* Risk assessment thinking

* Vulnerability assessment

* Case prioritisation

* Decision writing

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🧪 Practice (this is where you win the job)

Here are real-style scenarios you should practice weekly:

Scenario 1

A single parent says they’re being evicted in 2 weeks with no savings.

You must decide:

* Are they homeless or threatened with homelessness?

* What duty applies?

* What immediate steps do you take?

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Scenario 2

A man says he left home after an argument and is sleeping on a friend’s sofa.

You assess:

* Homelessness status

* Intentionality

* Priority need

* Housing duty

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Scenario 3

DV survivor with no documents, anxious, refusing to engage fully.

You test:

* Safeguarding response

* Trauma-informed approach

* urgency handling

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🎤 Interview prep (VERY important)

You WILL get questions like:

Behavioural

* “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult person”

* “How do you prioritise workload?”

* “How do you handle emotionally distressing situations?”

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Housing-specific

* “What would you do if someone presents as homeless today?”

* “What is priority need?”

* “How do you assess intentional homelessness?”

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What they’re REALLY testing:

* Calmness under pressure

* Structured thinking

* Empathy + boundaries

* Legal awareness

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💡 What makes candidates stand out

If you want to really stand out:

⭐ Learn to write like a housing officer

Short, structured notes like:

* Facts

* Risk

* Decision

* Action

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⭐ Show “balance”

They love candidates who can say:

“I would be empathetic, but also ensure decisions are evidence-based and within legislation.”

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⭐ Know safeguarding basics

Even if housing isn’t social work, safeguarding = huge part of the job.