Senior Housing Manager

The Senior Housing Manager Programme is a 12-month professional development programme delivered through the Level 4 Senior Housing and Property Management Apprenticeship (ST0236).

It develops the knowledge, skills and professional judgement required to manage housing services, teams, performance, budgets, risk and compliance.

The programme combines recognised housing management qualifications with practical leadership, communication and digital skills, including artificial intelligence.

The programme is delivered through a recognised Level 4 Senior Housing and Property Management Apprenticeship, providing a directly relevant qualification pathway under the statutory Competence & Conduct framework for applicable senior housing management roles.

The Competence & Conduct Standard came into force in England on 1 October 2026. It includes qualification requirements for relevant senior housing managers and executives, with different qualification levels and requirements depending on the role.

An individual's eligibility and regulatory requirements depend on their responsibilities rather than their job title alone. FTL and the employer will confirm the suitability of the apprenticeship for the relevant role during enrolment.

The programme is designed for housing professionals responsible for managing services, teams, operational performance, resources or compliance.

Relevant roles include housing services managers, neighbourhood managers, tenancy managers, asset managers, repairs managers, supported housing managers, resident involvement managers and other housing professionals with substantial management responsibilities.

It is suitable for housing associations, local authorities and other housing and property management organisations. Eligibility depends on responsibilities, prior learning and opportunities to develop and demonstrate the apprenticeship's required skills.

On successful completion, learners achieve the Level 4 Senior Housing and Property Management Apprenticeship and become eligible to apply for Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Certified Practitioner membership using their apprenticeship certificate.

The apprenticeship also provides routes to ARLA Propertymark Fellow level, subject to relevant experience and professional requirements, and The Property Institute Full Member level, subject to its syllabus and membership criteria.

FTL additionally includes Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certification and Institute of Leadership accreditation. Professional memberships are subject to separate applications and are not awarded automatically.

Learners develop practical capability across housing law and regulation, service performance, financial and resource management, safeguarding, risk, resident engagement and service improvement.

Leadership development is integrated throughout the programme, including coaching, delegation, managing performance, communication, decision-making, problem-solving and influencing.

These skills help managers lead teams confidently, strengthen accountability and improve housing service outcomes.

Yes. The Level 4 curriculum covers legislation and regulation, professional conduct, safeguarding, service risk, housing safety, operational management and the responsibilities involved in leading housing services.

Learners explore how to apply regulatory requirements, exercise appropriate judgement, manage risks and ensure that services meet professional and organisational expectations.

The programme connects these topics to real management decisions rather than treating compliance as a separate academic subject.

Yes. Digital and artificial intelligence skills are integrated into the programme to help managers use housing information, analyse performance, improve workflows and make better operational decisions.

Learners develop confidence using AI tools responsibly, including assessing outputs, protecting resident information and maintaining appropriate human oversight.

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certification is included. No coding or programming experience is required.

FTL's Senior Housing Manager Programme is designed to run over 12 months, with approximately four hours of protected learning time each week.

Learning combines online development, monthly workplace missions, interactive events, peer study groups, personalised AI learning through Mentarri and regular one-to-one coaching.

Managers apply their learning through existing responsibilities, including team leadership, service performance, operational decisions and improvement activities.

Yes. The Level 4 Senior Housing and Property Management Apprenticeship has a maximum government funding band of £9,000.

Eligible levy-paying employers can use apprenticeship levy funds to support the programme, subject to applicable funding rules and eligibility.

The programme provides a recognised qualification pathway and structured management development without personal training costs for eligible employees. Different funding arrangements may apply to non-levy employers.

The Senior Housing Manager Programme strengthens professional credibility and develops the skills required for increasingly responsible housing management roles.

Successful learners achieve a nationally recognised Level 4 apprenticeship and become eligible to apply for CIH Certified Practitioner membership, subject to CIH's requirements.

The programme also builds transferable leadership, performance management, risk and improvement capability that can support progression into broader operational and strategic housing responsibilities.