A day in the life of...

Every once in a we like to share an insight into someone else’s role here at the business. This week we have decided to showcase a day in the life of Grace Fixter. Grace is one of our Lettings Officers where no two days are ever the same so, be sure to check out the below!

“I did an administration apprenticeship at North Lincolnshire Council before the stock transfer. Then I worked in some different departments at North Lincolnshire Homes (before we became Ongo), including Customer Service and as a Support Officer for our retirement schemes.

Being on a temporary contract, I left in 2007 and did some care-work before moving to Sure Maintenance as a Tenant Liaison Officer. I wanted a fresh challenge though, so when I saw this current job opportunity come up in July 2018, I didn’t hesitate in applying for it.

“My job covers the start-to-end process of letting a home. This includes doing pre-leaving visits when a tenant is moving out, advertising the available property, and checking shortlists of applicants who have bid for the properties on the relevant choice-based lettings scheme for the area.

“We then allocate the property starting with whoever is top of the shortlist, which is prioritised based on housing need. We carry out thorough background checks, an affordability assessment and verify ID. Once all checks have been satisfied, we would then make a provisional offer to the tenant and ask if they would like to view the home. If they do, we have safe system of working in place to ensure safety.

“From there, if they still want the property, we discuss with them what their responsibilities will be as a tenant, and they pay a minimum of two weeks rent in advance. They then sign the tenancy agreement, receive the keys and the home is theirs.

“The favourite part of my job is helping people, and making a positive difference to them, on a daily basis. It’s a feeling that you simply cannot beat.

“Every day, every story, every new tenant and their needs are different – that variation, and no two days being the same, is something that I really enjoy. It means I’m learning something new all the time, and I feel honoured to be part of a helpful and supportive team.

“It’s the success stories as well. For example, we’ve just recently let the final home at our new retirement scheme, Chesleigh House, in Gainsborough. I’ve been the lead Lettings Officer on it since the start of the year and, though it’s taken time and hard work from a lot of people, it’s so worth it to see the smile on people’s faces when they’ve moved in and the difference it has made to their lives.”

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