Estates Officer Job Application: Full Career Guide

How to become an Estates Officer. Read through our comprehensive job guide to learn more about Estates Officer careers in the UK.

What does an Estates Officer do?

As an estates officer, you would be responsible for the management of land and property belonging to local councils and public bodies such as health authorities.

Your tasks would typically include:

• organising and checking repairs and maintenance
• making sure properties are being used for their intended purpose
• dealing with tenancy applications and monitoring tenancy agreements
• setting and reviewing rents
• assessing the potential of property for both short- and long-term future use
• checking returns on investments
• negotiating with landowners and other interested parties about compulsory purchase or purchase by agreement
• advising on land purchase issues
• attending meetings and liaising with other departments and organisations
• completing reports, and carrying out financial and statistical analyses
• keeping up to date with land management and environmental issues.

You could specialise in lettings, acquisitions or management.

Working Hours

You would work around 36 hours a week. This may include some evenings for committee work and meetings. Part-time work may be available.

You would be mostly office-based, but also travel to attend meetings and visit sites.

How much does an Estates Officer earn?

Salary and pay information:

• Estates officers in local government can earn between £18,000 and £26,000 a year.
• Experienced officers can earn from £32,500 to around £35,000.

Income can vary considerably depending on qualifications and responsibilities.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry Requirements

Most employers will expect you to have at least five GCSEs (A-C), possibly A levels or similar, and an HNC in housing or related subject. You may need a degree in surveying or housing management, and many estates officers are qualified technical or chartered surveyors.

You can qualify as a surveyor through the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

To qualify through RICS you need one of the following:

• a RICS accredited three- or four-year full-time degree in surveying
• a RICS accredited four-year sandwich degree in a relevant subject including one year’s work experience
• employment in a surveyor’s office whilst studying for a RICS accredited degree by block release, day release or distance learning.

You can do accredited courses by distance learning through the College of Estate Management.

If your degree is not in a relevant subject you could do a postgraduate conversion course.

To qualify through the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) you would need an accredited honours degree.

See the RICS and the CIOB websites for more details.

Visit the Royal Institution of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) website for details of other relevant courses.

Training and Development

If you have an RICS or CIOB accredited degree you can work towards chartered surveyor status by gaining further experience and assessment.

Through the RICS you need to complete an Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). This involves:

• finding employment and completing at least two years’ practical training and experience
• a practical assessment and interview.

If you have completed an accredited industrial training year as part of a degree course this will count towards the two-year requirement.

To qualify through the CIOB, you will need either two years’ relevant experience or a CIOB examination pass.

Skills and Knowledge

• Communication, presentation and organisational skills
• maths skills
• tact and diplomacy
• negotiating skills
• the ability to analyse written and statistical information
• good observational skills for examining property, legal documents and statistics
• the ability to work in a team and coordinate the work of others
• computer skills
• the ability to work under pressure.

Job Opportunities

You would usually work for local authorities, but could also find employment with other organisations such as development corporations and health authorities. As more local authorities are contracting out much of the work of their estate departments, you could also be employed in the private sector.

Vacancies are advertised in the press, through recruitment agencies and on websites such as LG Jobs and NHS Jobs.

• indeed
• cv library
• total jobs
• reed
• jobvacancies.net

You are likely to have better promotion prospects in larger departments in local authorities and other government organisations – you may be able to progress to estates manager or specialise in a particular area of the work.