Estates officer Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Estates officer

Hours

37 per week
Starting salary

£18,000 + per year

Estates officer are responsible for the management of land and property belonging to local councils and public bodies such as health authorities. If you are observant, and are a good communicator and organiser, this job could suit you well.

To be good at this job you would also need to have number skills. You would need to be tactful and diplomatic. You would need the ability to analyse written information and statistics.

Although there are no set entry requirements to get into this job, in practice many estates officers have a degree in surveying or another related subject.

The work

As an estates officer, 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
monitoring 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 analysis
keeping up to date with land management and environmental issues.

You could specialise in lettings, acquisitions or management.

Hours

You would work around 37 hours a week. This may include some evenings for committee work and meetings. Part-time work may be available.

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

Income

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

Although there are no set entry requirements, in practice many estates officers have a degree in surveying or another related subject.

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

For a full list of accredited RICS courses see the RICS website.

RICS

For information about Chartered Institute of Building courses see the CIOB website.

CIOB

If you work in construction or estate management you can do accredited courses by distance learning through the College of Estate Management.

College of Estate Management

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

IRRV

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' post graduate experience
a practical assessment and interview.

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

Skills and knowledge

To be an estates officer you should have:

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.

More information

Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation (IRRV) (Opens new window)
5th Floor Northumberland House,
303 - 306 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7JZ
Tel: 020 7831 3505
www.irrv.net

LGcareers (Opens new window)
www.lgcareers.com

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) (Opens new window)
Parliament Square
London
SW1P 3AD
Tel: 0207 334 3875
www.rics.org

Asset Skills (Opens new window)
2 The Courtyard
48 New North Road
Exeter
Devon
EX4 4EP
Tel: 01392 423399
Careers Advice: careers@assetskills.org
www.assetskills.org

Chartered Institute of Building (Opens new window)
Englemere
Kings Ride
Ascot
Berkshire
SL5 7TB
Tel: 01344 630700
www.ciob.org.uk

College of Estate Management (Opens new window)
Whiteknights
Reading
Berkshire
RG6 6AW
Tel: 0800 019 9697
www.cem.ac.uk

Opportunities

You could work for local authorities or 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 Local Government Jobs (LGjobs) and NHS Jobs.

Progression opportunities may be more common if you work in a large department. You may be able to progress to estates manager or specialise in a particular area of the work.

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The facilities management industry is part of the housing, property and planning, cleaning and support services, and parking sector, which is represented by Asset Skills Sector Skills Council. The sector workforce has continued to grow since 1998 and represents 3% of the total UK workforce.

The facilities management industry covers all types of management of services which includes: ‘hard’ services, such as property and estates management, building maintenance, energy management, environmental protection; and ‘soft’ services, such as cleaning, security, reception and customer care. The lack of understanding around facilities management roles makes both career pathways and qualification structures difficult to define. However, progression routes continue to be developed and there is now a range of work‐based qualifications allowing candidates to study from level 3 upwards.

Key facts:

The UK market for facilities management contracts is estimated to be between £10‐173 billion per year.
There are 136,900 people working in the facilities management industry in 14,400 companies.
91% of all facilities management organisations have 10 or less employees.
Facilities management is seen as a relatively new sector and companies seem positive with 74% expecting to grow.

Jobs in the industry include: assistant facilities coordinator; facilities manager; support services manager (such as cleaning, catering or security); building maintenance personnel; and emerging jobs such as environmental management, sustainability in response to legislation and changes to building design and risk management.

National and regional data

The following provides a breakdown of the number of facilities management sector employees in each of the Nations and English regions.

Region	Number of employees	Regional key characteristics
East Midlands	5,900	The East Midlands employs 5% of the facilities management workforce. A significant proportion of the workforce is employed on a part‐time basis (62%)
East Of England	11,500	The East of England employs 5% of the facilities management workforce, with employment evenly distributed between full‐ and part‐time work
London	29,900	London is the largest employer of the facilities management sector in England (26%). A high proportion (76%) of the workforce is employed on a full‐time basis and the majority (74%) is male
North East	3,100	The region has 3% of the facilities management workforce, with the majority aged 25‐54 (94%)
North West	12,700	The North West region employs 11% of the facilities management sector. The majority of the workforce (85%) is aged between 25‐54
South East	15,500	The South East employs 13% of the facilities management workforce. A significant proportion of the workforce is employed on a full‐time basis (76%), with men making up 62% of employees
South West	11,200	The South West region employs 10% of the facilities management sector. A significant proportion of the workforce is aged over 55 (42%)
West Midlands	10,000	The West Midlands has a high proportion of its workforce employed on a full‐time basis (85%). The majority of the workforce is aged 25 and over
Yorkshire & The Humber	15,100	Identical to the South East, the Yorkshire and the Humber region employs 13% of the facilities management workforce. This region accounts for the highest proportion of full‐time employment (91%).
Scotland	19,200	Scotland employs 14% of the facilities management sector workforce across the UK. The majority of the workforce is employed on a full‐time basis (75%), is aged 25‐54 (81%) and is female (64%)
Wales	2,800	Wales employs 2% of the facilities management sector workforce across the UK. The majority of the workforce is employed on a full‐time basis (83%), is aged 25‐54 (70%) and is male (77%)
Northern Ireland	*

Source: Annual Business Inquiry, 2008
* Due to a low sample size, information on the number of employees and characteristics of the facilities management sector in Northern Ireland has been excluded.