Retention Advisor

Location:  Basingstoke  

Salary: £31,537.71 per annum

Contract: Full time, Permanent

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours, Monday to Friday, 8.30am – 5pm.

We provide Housing Management services right across the UK. We work in partnership with Central and Local Government, registered providers, tenants, landlords and investors to find solutions to homelessness, provide more social and affordable housing and create specialist housing for people with care needs.

Why make the move?

This role offers the opportunity to take the skills you've developed in residential lettings and apply them within a large-scale property portfolio environment, combining landlord negotiation, rental market knowledge, property management and commercial decision-making.

You'll have regular Monday-to-Friday office hours, a permanent role and the opportunity to develop broader experience across property retention, compliance, portfolio management and housing operations.

About the Role:

Are you an experienced property, housing or lettings professional with strong negotiation skills? We are looking for a Retention Advisor to join our team in Basingstoke, where you will play a key role in managing landlord relationships, lease renewals and retention negotiations to support the continued delivery of high-quality housing services.

This is a varied role where you will manage a portfolio of residential properties, review rental values, assess property suitability and work closely with landlords, agents and internal teams. You will be responsible for maintaining accurate records, supporting property allocation decisions and contributing to service improvement initiatives across the business.

Key responsibilities include:

·        Managing rent reviews, lease renewals and retention negotiations with landlords and managing agents

·        Reviewing proposed rents against market rental values and making informed recommendations

·        Assessing properties based on condition, compliance, value and customer demand

·        Building and maintaining strong relationships with landlords, agents, contractors and other property partners

·        Managing and reviewing a portfolio of residential properties throughout different stages of the property lifecycle

·        Reviewing property requirements and applications to support effective allocation decisions

·        Carrying out property and record audits to maintain accurate, compliant housing stock information

·        Keeping clear and accurate records and providing regular updates and escalations

·        Working collaboratively with colleagues across the wider property, repairs and operational teams

·        Supporting wider projects and service improvements

Key Criteria:

·       Experience in similar duties

·       Negotiation skills

·       Experience of working in a customer service environment  

·       Experience of working in residential lettings property environment

·       A background in housing, repairs and maintenance, lettings or social housing

·       Experience of working independently 

·       Understanding current lettings legislation including health and safety

·       Excellent communicator

·       Decisive decision maker

·       Ability to manage a busy workload with conflicting prioritise

Benefits we can offer you

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity (14 weeks full pay, 12 weeks half pay and 13 weeks statutory pay), paternity (2 weeks full pay) and adoption leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - free confidential support and counselling available
• Mears Rewards offering discounts and cashback at leading retailers including travel, household items and shopping
• Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!
• Volunteering leave – up to two days per year to support community initiatives
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Share save scheme
• Recognition and long service awards
• Buy up to 5 days holiday each year depending on length of service
• Learning and development opportunities
• Career progression opportunities across Mears Group
• Occupational health support
• Green car scheme with Tusker after successful probation period 
• We have a range of internal forums that Aline with our company core values and beliefs including Mears Men, Women’s Heath, Pride at Mears, R.E.A.C.H, Women Operative support, Armed Forces, Women in Leadership, Diverse
• Company Sick Pay
• Life Assurance (2x annual salary)
• £3,500 annual car allowance or Company car
• 5% employee and 3% employer pension contribution with People pension

All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK, Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

As part of the recruitment process for this role, we will carry out a Background, Identity, Security clearance & BPSS check. For these checks to be completed, we will require from you the relevant identification, including Proof of Address, References, a valid passport and proof that you have lived in the UK for the last 5 years.

Apply below or to discuss your application further; contact:

If you need any help with your application process, we are here to support you. We will be accessible every step of the way.

At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, we are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.

In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.