Southwark Council
Legal Disrepair Officer
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Why Southwark
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
Southwark Repairs is a customer focused service and we are working on our Improvement Plan to become a fit for the future service that put residents at its heart. This is an exciting opportunity to work in the Legal Disrepair Team managing a portfolio of legal disrepair cases, arbitration matters and assisting in preventing new claims by taking early intervention to properties at risk of litigation.
What You'll Be Doing
- Manage a varied caseload in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, demonstrating excellent organisational skills and a proactive, dynamic approach.
- Prepare detailed, accurate, and professional reports for use in arbitration hearings and legal proceedings.
- Lead on mitigating the Council’s liability by investigating claims, assessing risks, and ensuring appropriate action is taken.
- Deliver an excellent repairs service through robust contractor management, performance monitoring, and quality assurance.
- Work closely with Legal Services and external solicitors to assess potential breaches of Tenancy Agreements and determine appropriate courses of action.
- Gather, review, and present evidence to support legal cases and dispute resolution processes.
- Represent the Council and provide evidence in court where matters are contested.
- Build effective working relationships with internal teams, contractors, legal professionals, and external stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
- Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, policies, and contractual obligations while protecting the Council’s interests.
What We're Looking For
- Work effectively in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment, managing a varied caseload with excellent organisational skills and a proactive approach.
- Prepare detailed formal reports for use in arbitration hearings and other legal proceedings.
- Lead on mitigating the Council's liability through effective case management and evidence gathering.
- Deliver an excellent repairs service by robustly monitoring and managing contractor performance.
- Work closely with Legal Services and external solicitors to assess potential breaches of tenancy agreements.
- Investigate complex housing and repairs-related disputes, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and legislation.
- Provide professional advice and recommendations on legal and tenancy-related matters.
- Represent the Council in court proceedings, including giving evidence where cases are contested.
- Build strong working relationships with internal teams, contractors, and legal professionals to achieve positive outcomes.
- Ensure all cases are managed efficiently, accurately, and in line
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Contact Information
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Gurps Shoria at gurps.shoria@southwark.gov.uk
Benefits And More Information
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
IMPORTANT: If you choose to apply, please complete your Supporting Statement in the ‘Relevant Knowledge, Experience & Skills’ section of the application form focusing on the criteria contained within the Job Description’s Person Specification that is marked as ‘S’ for ‘Shortlisting.
Additional Information
Recruitment Timetable
- Closing Date: 12/09/2026
- Shortlisting Date: 13/09/2026
- Interview Date: 24/09/2026
- Hours of Work: Monday to Friday (36hrs per week)
- Location: 160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH
- Type of Contract: 12 Months Fixed Term
- DBS: No DBS is required for this role
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The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
Southwark Council will only contact candidates through official Council recruitment channels. We will not ask you to provide passport details, proof of address, National Insurance number, bank details or payment at application stage. These checks are only requested at the onboarding process – once an offer of employment has been made. If you’re unsure whether a communication you’ve received is genuine, please contact the Resourcing team directly on recruitment@southwark.gov.uk before sharing any personal information.
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
Be a part of something bigger and more rewarding! Apply now to transform lives in your community. Click the 'apply now' button to start your journey with Southwark Council.
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