Tenancy Compliance & Procedures Manager

This Hybrid role is based in Liverpool, working 40 hours per week 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

Role Overview

The Tenancy Compliance and Company Procedures Manager is a group-level role responsible for overseeing tenancy compliance and company policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) across the UK and European residential portfolio, spanning Homes for Students (HFS), VervLife, and Orla.

The group operates across seven rental legislation jurisdictions, with further expansion anticipated across Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Increasingly complex regulatory requirements, alongside legislative changes including the Renters’ Rights Act in England and reforms in Wales and Scotland, create a growing need for specialist oversight, consistent processes, and effective risk management.

Reporting to Vicky Smith, the post holder will ensure tenancy agreements, policies, procedures, and operational practices remain legally compliant, commercially appropriate, consistently applied, and regularly reviewed. The role also owns the group-wide policy framework, ensuring documentation is accessible, controlled, fit for purpose, and aligned with business requirements as the organisation grows and diversifies.

Key Responsibilities

1. Tenancy Agreements and Legislative Compliance

• Own and maintain tenancy agreement templates across all group platforms, ensuring they meet legal and commercial requirements for each jurisdiction and asset class, including PBSA, BTR, co-living, and HMO.
• Liaise with external legal advisers to review agreements and implement legislative changes promptly.
• Monitor tenancy legislation, regulatory developments, and consultations across the UK, Ireland, and European markets, assessing their impact and communicating practical guidance to leadership and operational teams.
• Research compliance requirements for new markets, including local registration, notification, and municipal or provincial obligations.
• Act as the group’s subject matter expert, advising on referencing, deposit protection and handling, right to rent checks, sanctions screening, notices, rent increases, and other tenancy-related requirements.
• Support operational teams with complex tenancy matters, including First-tier Tribunal appeals or equivalent proceedings.

2. Policies, Procedures, and Governance

• Develop, implement, and maintain group-wide operational policies and SOPs, covering tenancy compliance and wider business operations.
• Own the central policy register and accessible document library, ensuring all policies and procedures are documented, appropriately approved, and consistently maintained.
• Establish structured review cycles, version control, and archiving arrangements, ensuring current documents are identifiable and superseded versions retained appropriately.
• Work with department heads and senior leadership to identify policy gaps, develop new documentation, and maintain consistent formats, language, and standards across all businesses.
• Ensure policies reflect legislative changes, operational requirements, internal controls, and relevant client-specific obligations.
• Embed compliant procedures into daily operations across HFS, VervLife, and Orla, communicating changes effectively and supporting implementation.

3. Auditing, Assurance, and Risk Management

• Design and deliver a structured programme of tenancy compliance audits and policy spot checks across the group.
• Identify compliance gaps, assess risks, produce reports with clear findings and recommended actions, and monitor remediation through to completion.
• Maintain a tenancy compliance risk register and provide regular reporting to senior leadership on key risks, audit outcomes, policy status, and overdue reviews.
• Monitor adherence to group policies and SOPs, recommending corrective actions where standards are not met.

4. Training and Stakeholder Management

• Develop and deliver compliance training to ensure operational teams understand their responsibilities and apply procedures consistently across jurisdictions.
• Provide ongoing advice and support, acting as the principal contact for tenancy compliance queries.
• Manage relationships with external legal advisers across the UK and Europe, translating specialist advice into practical operational guidance.
• Collaborate with operations, client management, finance, and technology teams to integrate compliance into client onboarding, system implementations, process changes, and new property or market mobilisations.

Skills, Experience and Capabilities

Essential

• Demonstrable experience in tenancy, lettings, or regulatory compliance within residential property management, with knowledge of multiple legislative frameworks.
• Experience developing, implementing, auditing, and maintaining operational policies and SOPs.
• Strong working knowledge of UK residential tenancy legislation, including the Renters’ Rights Act, Housing (Scotland) Act, Renting Homes (Wales) Act, and relevant HMO licensing requirements.
• ARLA Propertymark or equivalent lettings or property management qualification.
• Experience establishing document governance frameworks, including policy registers, version control, and structured review cycles.
• Excellent research, analytical, communication, and report-writing skills, with the ability to translate complex legislation into clear operational guidance.
• Strong organisation, attention to detail, and the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple jurisdictions.
• A proactive, self-motivated approach, with the confidence to work independently and take ownership of a broad remit.
• Willingness to travel within the UK and occasionally to European offices.

Desirable

• Experience with European rental legislation or the ability and willingness to develop expertise in additional jurisdictions.
• Experience across PBSA, BTR, co-living, and HMO sectors.
• Experience supporting multiple brands or operating platforms within a group structure.
• Knowledge of international deposit protection and compliance requirements.
• Experience delivering compliance training and leading cross-departmental policy development.
• Familiarity with document management systems and centralised policy libraries.