• Managing rent accounts and proactively recovering current and former tenant arrears.
• Contacting residents at an early stage to prevent arrears escalating and agreeing appropriate repayment arrangements.
• Providing practical advice to residents experiencing financial difficulties and helping them sustain their tenancy.
• Completing income and expenditure assessments and agreeing affordable repayment plans.
• Advising residents on welfare benefits, Universal Credit and Discretionary Housing Payments, and signposting to specialist services where required.
• Taking a firm but supportive approach to rent collection, balancing income recovery with tenancy sustainment.
• Progressing arrears cases through the legal recovery process where preventative action has been unsuccessful.
• Preparing cases for court, completing the necessary paperwork and ensuring cases are fully evidenced.
• Attending court and representing the landlord in rent arrears and possession proceedings.
• Managing Notices of Seeking Possession and other appropriate enforcement action.
• Working closely with Housing, Finance, Benefits and external support agencies to resolve complex cases.
• Maintaining accurate case notes and ensuring arrears cases are progressed within agreed timescales.
• Managing your own caseload independently and taking ownership of cases from initial arrears through to resolution.

• Strong experience of rent collection and arrears recovery within social housing.
• Previous experience as an Income Officer, Rent Officer, Housing Officer, Neighbourhood Officer or similar.
• Housing Officers will be considered where they have significant responsibility for managing rent arrears.
• Experience providing residents with advice and support to help resolve arrears and sustain their tenancy.
• Experience preparing rent arrears cases for court and attending court hearings.
• Good knowledge of the legal process surrounding rent arrears, possession proceedings and tenancy enforcement.
• Experience negotiating repayment arrangements and completing income and expenditure assessments.
• Good knowledge of welfare benefits, Universal Credit and DHPs.
• Confident communication and negotiation skills, including having difficult conversations around debt and enforcement.
• Ability to manage a busy caseload and work independently with minimal supervision.
• A strong customer-focused approach while still being confident progressing enforcement action when required.

If you would like any further details about this position, please contact Joshua Bourne at Marks Consulting Partners.

If this job is not quite right for you but you are looking for something new, please contact us for a confidential discussion.

Marks Consulting Partners specialise in contract and permanent recruitment of technical property, regeneration & development, housing services and HR staff to the public sector including housing associations, local authorities, and related private sector organisations. We do not advertise all our vacancies so please give us a call and register with us to be notified of all suitable roles.