Housing Officer careers in Progress | Carly's story

Carly Mustoe, RWP’s Head of Operations, talks about her experience as a housing officer and the invaluable skills that she developed such as communication, negotiating, and working well under pressure.

The Better Social Housing Review (BSHR) identifies three essential elements to housing providers being able to deliver their core purpose of providing decent and safe homes. These are tenants, stock and employees. 

To support our work delivering against the BSHR recommendations and the Consumer Standards regulations, we've spoken to some of our colleagues at the Group about their careers as a housing officer. They have discussed the highs, the lows, the challenges, the opportunities, and what drives people to succeed in the sector - all with the aim of promoting the role as a valued and supported career opportunity.

We spoke to Carly, RWP's Head of Operations, about her experience as a housing officer, which began after leaving college.

Can you tell us a bit about how you got into the sector?

After leaving college in 2004, I signed up with a recruitment agency, and my first placement was at a local housing association as a temporary admin assistant in the Leasehold Team. I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career. However, I liked the work and my colleagues, so when the permanent role came up, I applied. I soon progressed and moved into an officer-level role. In August 2024,  I celebrated working in the social housing sector for 20 years.

How long were you in a housing officer role?

I carried out a housing officer role for 7 years. The housing officer role was never referred to as a 'housing officer'; instead, I had titles such as Customer Liaison Officer and Area Housing Manager.

Can you tell us a bit about your experience as a housing officer? What did you enjoy most about the role?

My favourite part of being a housing officer was meeting people. I loved the interactions, the stories and being part of their journey. You meet with people on their best and worst days, see their ups and downs and the challenges that life throws at them. I also really enjoyed the variety of the role and could be signing up a tenant in the morning for a new property and then might be in court in the afternoon asking for an eviction warrant due to rent arrears for another. No 2 days were ever the same!

What skills did the housing officer role help you to develop? What training and qualification opportunities did you experience?

In my first housing officer role, I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to complete my Chartered Institute of Housing qualification (Levels 3 and 4). This qualification was paid for by my employer, and I completed it as part of a distance learning programme. A lot of my skills have been developed 'on the job'. The role helped me become a good communicator, work well under pressure, and become a good negotiator and manager.

I was also able to broaden my knowledge through the queries I dealt with as a housing officer and training that I attended across areas such as housing law, leasehold management, and asset management.

What roles did you take on next, and how did the housing officer role help you?

For my next career move, I took a slight detour away from front-line housing into Corporate Governance. I applied for a secondment to cover a role as Assistant Company Secretary at my housing association whilst the post holder was on maternity leave. I didn't have experience in this type of role before, and I didn't think I would be successful, but I did something right as I was offered the role.

I am quite a curious person and like to know the details of why I am doing something – many people who work with me will know that my favourite question is 'why?'. This role was perfect for me to be able to understand how a housing association functioned. I learnt about many new areas, building on my housing officer knowledge, such as board and committees, regulation, finances, auditing, risk management, insurance and data protection.

After a few years in governance roles, I realised that I missed working in front-line housing and was offered the chance to come back. I took on the role of Head of Tenant Support at Reside Housing Association, and when we merged with Progress Housing Group in 2021, the role of Head of Housing Operations. I still use many of the skills and knowledge that I learnt during my time as a housing officer every day.

What are your aims for further career or professional development?

Like many, I am waiting for the details of the social housing white paper to confirm what professional training will look like for the social housing sector. In the meantime, I am taking learning and development opportunities when they arise to keep my knowledge fresh.

What would you say to someone considering becoming a housing officer?

Do it! It is an extremely rewarding role that gives you varied opportunities and experiences.

How would you describe the housing officer role in three words?

Busy, engaging, and rewarding.