Income Officer

Overview

Overall purpose of this role is to support customers in sustaining their tenancies through a customer focused approach by fostering a culture of early intervention and arrears prevention.

Managing the rent and service charge income, and the lease fee/ management fee income where appropriate.

To set all annual rents and service charges, including communicating these to the superior landlords, tenants and benefit departments.

Arrears Management

• Managing a portfolio of arrears cases to ensure cases are consistently reducing; proactively contacting customers and complying with arrears processes and procedures to apply a consistent approach to arrears management for a variety of tenure types.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and external agencies to support customers to be able to meet their financial obligations, seeking wherever possible to prevent arrears and put clear plans in place to mitigate the risk of debt.
• Managing end-to end arrears process for customers by issuing legal notices to customers, proceeding with legal action, preparing legal documents, representing FPHA in court to request the most appropriate order.

Tenant Engagement

• Handle difficult conversations with tenants and financial appointees with understanding and empathy, building rapport with customers to ensure they feel supported to sustain their tenancies.
• Provide annual statements to all customers, and additional statements on request throughout the year.

Reporting

• Produce arrears reports covering rental income and the management of void income.
• Provide annual statements to all customers, and additional statements on request throughout the year.
• Produce relevant documentation for superior landlords around the rents being paid to them on a monthly/ quarterly basis, in line with income from service and expenditure from service.

Payment Arrangements

• Allocate the cash to debt payments via the finance system

Rent and Service Charges

• Manage the rent and service charge setting for all homes. Communicate with stakeholders any changes to the charges.

Housing Benefit

• Support HOs in collection of data required to provide to HB depts and UC (DWP) so that claims are assessed and in payment as efficiently as possible.
• Proactively engage with Housing Benefit departments, leading on all communication regarding rent and service charges, account/ claim issues

General

• Ability to identify areas of service improvement, designing action plans and strategies for effective income management in support of the Head of Housing
• Work within a team, supporting colleagues and attending team meetings, recording and sharing information appropriately and confidentially
• To be confident at lone working, being able to make decisions and prioritise tasks as required.
• Keep up to date with issues relevant to housing & support, welfare benefits and other relevant legislation
• To undertake all core training required for this post and other training and professional development activities as required
• Undertake other delegated tasks and responsibilities that fall within your capabilities as required
• To comply at all times with FPHAs’ legal, contractual and regulatory responsibilities in relation to the above duties

Qualifications

• CIH qualified Level 3 (d)
• Any other relevant housing management and qualifications (d)

Skills and Knowledge

• Champion for putting tenants at the heart
• Good stakeholder management (both internal and external stakeholders)
• Effective communicator
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong report writing and analytical skills
• Problem solver
• Resilient, ‘can-do’ attitude

Experience

• Previous experience working in a housing association in a similar role (e)
• Proven track record of delivering good quality income management services (e)
• Knowledge of Housing Benefit regulations and compliance with these (e)
• An understanding of the Supported Housing sector (d)
• Experience of working in Intensive Housing Management models (d)

This role is based in our Leicester Head office

Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• Company events
• Company pension
• Gym membership
• Private medical insurance

Work Location: In person