Income Officer

Location: London
Contract: Interim
Duration: 3 months
Working pattern: 5 days per week on site

About the role

Our client, a housing association in London, is looking for an experienced Income Officer to join its housing team on a 3 month interim contract. The role focuses on collecting rent and service charges, supporting tenants who fall into arrears and keeping the organisation’s income position on track.

You will manage a patch of tenancy accounts, monitoring arrears, making contact with tenants and agreeing realistic repayment arrangements. Where cases need to progress, you will follow the arrears process through to the later stages, including notices and preparation for court action, working with colleagues in housing management, legal and support services.

The role is based on site five days per week, so you will be part of the day-to-day activity of the team and able to pick up live cases quickly. The successful candidate will balance firm, fair recovery action with a supportive approach, signposting tenants to money advice and wider help where it is needed.

Main responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of tenant accounts, monitoring rent and service charge arrears and taking timely action
• Contact tenants by phone, letter, email and visit to discuss arrears and agree affordable repayment plans
• Follow the organisation’s income recovery procedures, including notices, legal action and court preparation
• Carry out accurate account reconciliations and keep case records up to date on the housing management system
• Support tenants affected by welfare reform, including Universal Credit and Housing Benefit queries
• Refer tenants to money advice, financial inclusion and support services where appropriate
• Work with housing, legal and support colleagues to prevent evictions and sustain tenancies
• Prepare reports on arrears performance and caseload activity as required
• Handle queries and complaints relating to rent accounts in a professional and timely way
• Meet income collection and arrears targets agreed with the team

Requirements

Essential

• Previous experience as an Income Officer, Income Recovery Officer or similar role within social housing
• Good knowledge of rent arrears recovery procedures and the legal process for possession action
• Understanding of Universal Credit, Housing Benefit and the impact of welfare reform on rent collection
• Confident, clear communicator, able to hold sensitive conversations about debt
• Ability to manage a busy caseload and work to targets
• Experience of using a housing management system and good general IT skills
• Available to work on site 5 days per week

Desirable

• Experience within a London housing association or local authority
• Knowledge of pre-action protocols and court procedures
• Experience of supporting vulnerable tenants

The offer

• 3 month interim contract
• Based on site in London, 5 days per week
• Live caseload within an established housing team
• Rate to be confirmed with candidates

This role suits an income professional who can take on a live caseload at short notice and combine firm recovery action with a supportive approach to tenants. If you are available for a 3 month interim assignment in London, apply below.