Home Ownership Recovery Officer - Basildon Borough Council

Home Ownership Recovery Officer - Basildon Borough Council

Basildon Borough Council

Temporary (3 months), Full Time

£13.07 PAYE / £16.37 Umbrella Per Hour

Location: Basildon

Closing Date: 2nd June 2024

Essex County Council (ECC) are delighted to be supporting Basildon Council to recruit into their temporary Home Ownership Recovery Officer role.

Please note, this role is full-time on a temporary contract until 30/09/#####.

Working hours: 36.25 per week - 9.00am - 5.15pm, with the expectation of being in the office a minimum of 2 days per week.

The role

• The post holder will work within the Home Ownership Team who will be responsible for the billing and collection of Service Charges, Major Works, District Heating usage/Standing Charge, Shared Ownership Rent Collection and Housing Sundry Debtors. The team is also responsible for the Tenant's Right to Buy Scheme, Shared Ownership Estate Management and Leasehold Management.
• The post holder will work within the Home Ownership Team dealing with all aspects of income collection.
• The post holder will be in frequent contact with members of the public on the telephone and face to face, at home and in the office, interviewing and drafting responses to queries.
• This will involve dealing with members of the public who are distraught or aggrieved at the application of recovery procedures.
• The post holder deals with input and changes in data on computer systems, verifying information and updating records.

Duties

• To deal with enquiries and correspondence in respect of monies of leasehold management and monies due to the Council.
• To have a knowledge of relevant legislation, recovery procedures and keep abreast of changes.
• To follow up on income/expenditure information received and verify its accuracy.
• To prepare, check and despatch various forms and notices.
• To update computer records, working within prescribed timescales and checking the work of others as necessary.
• To maintain the ASH records and train HOT staff on recovery procedures contributing to service improvements on these procedures and the introduction of flexible payment options.
• To liaise with outside collection agents and employers.
• To liaise with internal departments and answer enquiries from Members, deal with complaints on recovery and leasehold matters.
• To carry out home visits as necessary.
• To interview at the office and at home debtors regarding arrears providing suitable advice, making and managing arrangements for payment - taking action where appropriate.
• To provide administrative support to the Home Ownership team.
• Assist with leasehold management and RTB duties where required.
• To prepare cases for and attend court/Residential Property Tribunal hearings on recovery issues.
• To set up files and document image relevant paperwork for evidence of Service charge recovery action. Also to set up and maintain a customer enquiry database.
• Undertake all the duties within the framework of Equal Opportunities.
• You must cooperate in all matters relating to Health and Safety and implement all procedures for your job role. The identification of Health and Safety related risks within the working environment must be highlighted to your management.

The Experience You Will Bring

• Demonstrable experience of working in a debt recovery environment
• Experience of managing tight deadlines and working under pressure
• Up to date knowledge of relevant legislation and recovery procedures.
• Excellent numeracy and written skills with professional telephone manner
• Experience of prioritising workload and the ability to multi-task
• Experience of customer/public contact demonstrating good communication and interpersonal skills
• Experience of working with various IT systems

Why choose Basildon Council?

Basildon Borough Council is one of the largest local authorities in the East of England region and serves a population of approximately 172,000 people. The town of Basildon is regarded as a key economic hub with the main areas of employment being engineering, research and development, distribution and financial services. Basildon is also the second biggest economy in the Thames Gateway, outside of Canary Wharf.

Working for Basildon Borough Council means making a practical and positive difference to the lives of people living and working in the Borough and provides a fulfilling career.

Each of our employees - whatever job role they are undertaking - can feel motivated by having a unique opportunity to use their skills to make Basildon a better place to live. Whether it is conserving our countryside, by regenerating our Borough, by housing our residents or by collecting the refuse on time.

Note: ECC are advertising this role on behalf of Basildon Council.

Basildon Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults, and expects all employees, contractors and volunteers to share its commitment to prevent abuse, harm or exploitation.

The Council applies a robust recruitment vetting process. If you are successful, you will need to undergo a Pre-employment Vetting Procedure.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email #####