Customer Accounts Support Officer (12 Months Fixed-Term)

Local Space Housing Association; London; On-site; GBP 38,000; Full time

Job description

Company Description

We are Local Space, an innovative and dynamic social landlord with charitable status dedicated to delivering affordable and quality social housing to people on lower incomes, to help them improve their quality of life. Our work is focused on Newham and the wider London area, particularly east London, where high private sector rents and the current economic crisis impacts on people seeking decent quality affordable housing. We have a successful track record of delivery and adding social value, through working with other stakeholders. Due to our robust business model we continue to operate with a solid financial base. Local Space has grown in the last five years and now owns 3000 homes with a turnover of c.£40m and we are still growing. We are a G1 / V1 rated RP (Registered Provider). We are Investors in People accredited and are the only housing association to hold the sector’s highest credit rating, AA-.

We aim to improve our customer offer by increasing the number of homes we manage over the next few years as well as increasing our housing stock. We believe that everyone deserves a home to be proud of and our temporary homes are of a high-quality, enabling people to live in them comfortably until they can move on.

Closing date: 17th April 2025
Interviews to commence from: 23rd April 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Position

Position: Customer Account Support Officer

Salary: £38,000 per annum plus benefits

Requirements

1. To assist the Income Team in ensuring the organisation’s high customer service standards are achieved and core business objectives are met.
2. To be responsible for the Income Team’s core administrative duties to include hardship fund applications, minute taking at meetings, court bundle preparation, taking rent payments, producing rent statements, preparing, and overseeing former tenant accounts with a view to liaising with external collection agencies, phone cover, and assisting with the team’s overall income recovery objectives.
3. To communicate and work closely with local authority partners as requested regarding Housing Benefit and Discretionary Housing Payment claims; with the DWP regarding Universal Credit Claims; and with Social Services and any other relevant agencies.
4. To assist and support tenants who are in arrears as instructed by the Income Team.
5. To liaise with tenants, their relatives and/or statutory/voluntary services as requested.
6. To ensure record keeping is up to date and all correspondence and communication are recorded on our housing management system.
7. Working outside of normal office hours occasionally, as required to meet the needs of the service.

Whilst the focus of the role is to support the Income Recovery team, you will be expected to support your colleagues (as and when required) with letting properties, inspecting our estates conduct tenancy audits, and other tenancy management issues.

Other information

Work from our newly refurbished office in the heart of east London, a short walk from Stratford station, Westfield Shopping Centre and the Olympic Park.

Our benefits include a generous annual leave allowance, healthcare cashback plan, life assurance, support for professional qualifications, and much more.

We are committed to developing a culture of healthy work/life balance, job satisfaction and high performance where staff are motivated to deliver excellent services to our customers.