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From the frontline – lettings and shared ownership manager Emma Morrell
Emma Morrell, lettings and shared ownership manager at Soha Housing, discusses the success of Housing First, managing the expectations of tenants and growing up in a Winchester council flat
Tell us about your job.
My team consists of four lettings officers, a leasehold and shared ownership officer and an apprentice. We are responsible for all lettings and mutual exchanges and work very closely with the voids team.
This year I have been part of a Housing First project, working with South Oxfordshire District Council and Aspire.
How did you get into housing?
I had been working for a high street letting agent in Oxford for many years and, having moved up within the company, it was time for a change. But it did give me a great understanding of housing law. I felt the need to be doing something more than filling the pockets of private landlords and to make a difference with the work I do, so I applied for my current role.
What is the best part of your job?
I love my team and my colleagues! I also like seeing the difference in people we have helped move. We have successfully housed several applicants through our Housing First project, and they are doing well, which is fantastic to see.
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What’s the worst part?
It’s hard to manage the expectations of people who are desperate to move but we don’t have the property that they need available for them. Likewise, it’s hard having to say no to some families’ dream home when they cannot afford the rent in the area and moving into it would cause them significant financial strain.
What would your superpower be?
I’d like to be able to fly so I never get caught in Oxfordshire traffic.
How has the housing sector changed?
We have had to become so much more than just a lettings team. We now spend a lot more time making sure that tenants can sustain their tenancies in the future. The changes and cutting of budgets for support agencies locally has meant social landlords have to fill the gap for our tenants.
If you could be prime minister for the day, what would you do?
I don’t think I would ever want that job! But I would make MPs job shadow a housing officer for a day.
What’s the most private thing you’d be willing to admit to your colleagues?
Despite working in lettings, I rent a property but don’t have a tenancy agreement, nor did I pay a deposit. I also went to a private girls’ school in Southampton but lived in a council flat in Winchester with my mum, while my grandmother paid for my education.
