Leasehold Collections Officer

Job Description:

Be responsible to the administration of leaseholder service charges, major works and ES accounts and other leasehold services income.

Duties:
• Monitor receipt of income and ensure that appropriate action is taken to pursue outstanding debts in accordance with leasehold legislation and council policy and procedure
• Liaise with leaseholders, other officers within and outside LBH&F and outside organisations
• Undertake recovery action in accordance with defined policy and ensure all accounts are regularly monitored and appropriate actions taken in a timely manner
• Review, monitor and make proposals for improvement to policies, procedures and practices
• Negotiate and monitor special arrangements for repayments of arrears with debtors in line with LBHF policy and procedures
• Refer cases to legal services for recovery action and monitor progress and performance In a timely manner
• Identify, prepare papers and propose cases for write-off
• Make the necessary adjustments to debtors personal accounts and maintain control records in respect of:
– write offs
– write backs
– refunds
– direct debits/standing orders
– refer to drawer cheques
– transfers
– other adjustments
– interest charges
• Deal with correspondence, telephone and counter enquiries relating to the collection of income within published service standards
• Attend court representing the Council as a witness in arrears recovery cases
• Maintain systems to ensure appropriate accounting records for individual accounts and control accounts
• Act as client in respect of income recovery for services from Legal Services, Finance and information technology (in liaison with leasehold services systems administrators) to ensure agreed standards and performance are maintained
• Produce regular reports on income collection performance for personal, management and Executive board
• Undertake any other tasks as requested associated with the collection of service charges and other related income of leasehold services

Qualifications:

Relevant Financial qualification or experience in financial administration and leasehold legislation.

Key Competencies;

Experience:
• Demonstrated experience in administrating financial accounts, including debt recovery.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply financial legislation and policy in relation to leaseholders.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team as well as autonomously and to work to strict timeframes meed deadlines and think outside the box.
Knowledge & Skills:
• Communication Skills – proven ability to communicate clearly and concisely both written and verbal in different settings, taking into account the needs of the audience.
• Planning, organising and implementing – proven ability to set priorities, schedule work and monitor performance so that goals are achieved successfully and on time, incorporating relevant safety and diversity considerations.
• Problem Solving and Creativity – the ability and experience of/to identify the problem, evaluate relevant factors and assess the consequences of proposals to produce practical, high quality solutions. The ability to resolve situations and challenges by applying original thought.
• Decision Making – the ability to apply knowledge, evaluate situations and select safe and effective solutions in good time, being considerate of others.
• Customer Needs – the ability to ascertain and understand internal and external customer needs and react in an appropriate manner, proactively looking for solutions to address customer needs.
Personal Qualities:
• Responsiveness – the ability to be adaptable, flexible and positive in times of change and challenges.
• Relating to and Influencing Others – displays tact, diplomacy, persuades effectively and relates well to others, treating everyone with respect according to values set out in LBH&F’s Equal Opportunities policy.
• Performance Standards – the ability to apply professionalism to work undertaken and achieve the highest standards possible.