If you like working with and helping people or doing practical work then a career in housing, property or facilities may be for you.

There is a wide range of opportunities available, from managing the facilities and services in buildings where people work or helping people to find suitable housing, to cleaning windows, chimneys or building interiors

What areas can I work in?

This career area covers the sectors of facilities management, housing and property services, including cleaning. These encompass a wide range of jobs, from managerial to manual.

To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.

What kind of companies can I work for?

Possible employers include:

• local authorities
• housing associations
• the NHS
• building management companies
• large contract cleaning companies
• small private companies
• estate agencies
• schools, colleges or universities
• infrastructure support companies.

What’s the job market like?

The UK facilities management sector is worth a lot of money every year to the UK economy. According to a RICS survey (2021), demand for facilities management services has been rising across all sectors (with the exception of retail), and profit margins are expected to rise for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic first began, with the biggest demand in the healthcare sector.

According to Careersmart website (from Prospect and Bectu) there are 14,198 people working as property, housing and estate managers in Scotland, with an overall figure of 193,335 in the UK as a whole. It is predicted that employment in this sector will rise to 202,432 by 2027. 

As ever a future priority is to attract younger people into the sector and to ensure that the range of skills required, including management and leadership, problem solving and energy management, are met. 

 

Facts and figures

• In the UK, 60,659 people work in real estate.
• It is predicted that the UK estate agents market is set to increase by 8.71%.
• The average UK salary for women working in property, housing and estate management is £38,064 a year, while the average for men is £47,971 (2019 survey). The overall UK average in this sector is £44,843 a year (2020 figures).
• Repair and maintenance services are estimated to account for 22.8% of industry revenue in the current year, making this the second largest service segment in the property development and maintenance industry.

Want to find out more?

There are a number of professional bodies related to this sector, some of which have more information on careers and training.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (previously the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM)), provides information about qualifications in that sector.

The Chartered Institute of Housing (CiH), the independent body for housing and its professional standards, also provides information on careers, training and qualifications.

Sources

Video

Career Pathway