Environmental Health Officer – Private Sector Housing

Environmental Health Officer – Private Sector Housing

Location: Brighton (Hybrid Working Available)
Contract: 6 Months Initially
Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Rate: £34.20 per hour PAYE / £45.00 per hour Umbrella

An excellent opportunity has arisen for two experienced Environmental Health Officers to join a well-established Local Authority within their Private Sector Housing team. This is a varied and rewarding contract for professionals who are passionate about improving housing standards, protecting public health, and delivering high-quality environmental health services.

The Role

Working within the Private Sector Housing team, you will undertake a broad range of environmental health duties focused on improving housing conditions and ensuring compliance with relevant housing legislation. You'll be responsible for investigating complaints, carrying out inspections, assessing risks, providing advice, and taking enforcement action where required.

Key responsibilities include:

• Undertaking inspections of private sector residential properties, including Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
• Assessing properties using the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
• Investigating complaints relating to housing conditions and statutory nuisances.
• Preparing, drafting and serving statutory notices under relevant housing legislation.
• Carrying out enforcement action where necessary, including preparing prosecution files and civil penalty cases.
• Producing detailed reports, maintaining accurate case records, and managing workloads effectively.
• Liaising with landlords, tenants, solicitors, contractors, partner agencies and other stakeholders.
• Providing professional advice on housing legislation, building standards and environmental health matters.
• Representing the service at meetings and, where required, giving evidence in court or tribunals.
• Supporting wider housing improvement projects including property licensing, empty homes, temporary accommodation standards and related initiatives.

About You

To be considered for this position, you will ideally have:

• A recognised qualification in Environmental Health (BSc, MSc, Diploma or equivalent).
• Membership of, or commitment towards, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Environmental Health Registration Board (EHORB) (or current equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of the Housing Act, Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) and associated environmental health legislation.
• Experience inspecting private sector housing and making informed enforcement decisions.
• Experience preparing legal documentation and supporting enforcement or prosecution action.
• Excellent report writing and communication skills.
• The ability to manage a varied caseload independently while working collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Confidence dealing with challenging situations and negotiating positive outcomes.

If you're an experienced Environmental Health Officer looking for your next contract opportunity within Private Sector Housing, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today or contact our specialist Public Sector Recruitment Team for a confidential discussion.