Blog by Housing Officer Sarah

Before joining the Group and RWP, Sarah gained a lot of experience and skills in different roles, such as bookkeeping, managing a chain of coffee shops and working in Holland for a multinational company. She has a catering qualification, too! But her heart lies with working with tenants. “No day is the same, and that's what I love about the job. I’m not the type of person to be sat at a desk all day - I love getting out and meeting people.”

“It was my experience as a team leader of the gas department at an insurance company that led me to Progress. My first role for the Group was in the control room at Progress Lifeline. This was an extremely varied role where anything could come up on a call. It could be someone reporting a fall, an emergency at a property, or you could be speaking to someone who is homeless. After seven years in this role, I was ready for my next challenge.

I worked in the compliance department and supported them with their fire actions. This led to developing an interest in becoming a housing officer. I started off by doing some job shadowing, then some cover work, before taking up a full-time housing officer role which I’ve been doing for the last two and a half years. I cover properties in Leyland, a couple in Preston, the majority are in Manchester, and I also cover Shropshire.

On a typical day I could be doing a lot of different things. I could be doing a sign up, a void check if someone has left a property and dealing with anti-social behaviour. I could also be out doing reviews and visits. Alongside that, I could be responding to email queries, doing work from the test trays, or dealing with complaints.

One of the properties I’ve worked on has four tenants who are young adults, and it’s a lovely, supportive scheme. I’ve seen the tenants grow in independence and I just think what a difference it's made to them – I’m so proud of what they have achieved. It's a big step for them in in their life, as young adults to live in their own home. They now have lots of life skills that they didn’t have before, like shopping, planning menus, cooking and cleaning. They also attend social activities like karaoke. The support team are enabling them to live independently, which is what we want.

I really enjoy chatting to tenants on my visits. It’s always interesting to learn about their hobbies, like one tenant who collects pens and another who supports Liverpool FC. This helps massively with building trust and means if they've got any concerns or any problems, they'll talk to me.

Having a good relationship with support providers is important, too. I know all the managers’ names, and we have really good communication. If they want something from me, I will always help them, and vice versa.

I’m keen to do some of the Chartered Housing Institute courses next year to help with my job. I would also like to explore the psychology side of the role and perhaps do a course related to that next year, too. A psychology or mental health-related course would help develop my understanding of the complex needs of some of the tenants that I've got.

When I’m not working, I love going to the gym - it helps me to switch off. I also enjoy going on dog walks with my husband. I’m an avid reader and can get through three books a week! I’m passionate about cooking as I’m vegetarian, so we often cook from scratch at home and get the kids involved.

If you asked me what luxury item I would take to a desert island, it would have to be a pillow.”

My quote to live by is: “Live today as your last day as you only get one chance.”