Project Support Officer

The postholder will be responsible for maximisation of income collection and arrears reduction for all households in our managed accommodation and will assist tenants in financial difficulty, signposting them to support services to help them sustain their tenancy. Where preventative action fails, you will be required to take appropriate recovery action using legal processes up to and including eviction stage.

Representative Accountabilities

• Carry out independent but low risk interventions/assessments to identify customer needs or deliver services directly to customers.
• Assist more experienced colleagues in delivering complex service activities/assessments in order to meet or identify customer needs and develop own skills and experience.
• Provide advice and support to customers using Council procedures and policies.
• Where appropriate supervise the tasks and activities of other team members including prioritising and scheduling of work.

Budgetary Accountabilities

• Responsible for maximisation of income collection and arrears reduction.
• Agreeing payment plans with households.
• Deciding when a case should be referred to court and whether a money judgement should be sought.

Specific Accountabilities

• Ensure timely recovery and enforcement action to maximise income collection across a portfolio of properties, to meet income targets as Key Performance Indicators based on the current financial year.
• Serve notice where appropriate, review and monitor.
• Identify cases where Councils legal team and/or Counsel is required and liaising with the former to ensure that all information/paperwork is available for any court hearing, and to represent the Council appearing as a witness.
• Attend evictions and ensuring vacant possession is obtained.
• Make a decision as to whether a statutory duty should end and follow procedures to bring that duty to an end, advising of statutory reviews process where applicable.
• Ensure that all customers are aware of their responsibility to pay their rent regularly and on time and advise on preventive action to be taken to stop them falling into arrears.
• Provide advice and guidance to households on maximising their income.
• Provide budgeting advice and assistance to ensure prioritisation of debts.
• Identifying tenants with serious multiple debts at an early stage and make referrals to any money/debt advice service as agreed.
• Work with and support challenging and vulnerable households.
• Agree achievable payment plans with households and make recommendations for deferment on the Housing Register in line with local policy.
• Strict monitoring of payment plans, keeping records up to date on the relevant systems.
• Meeting with households and answering general enquiries.
• Preparation and despatch of appropriate system-produced standard arrears letters, interviewing tenants.

Person specification (knowledge, skills, experience and behaviours required in the role)

• To build relationships with key agencies such as Housing Benefit and the Department of Work and Pensions.
• Knowledge of the Housing Act 1996 Part VI and VII and Welfare Benefits and proactively keeping up to date with changes and case law.
• Responsible for identification of gaps in procedure and systems and make recommendation for change, to improve more effective and efficient workflows to expedite revenue, and minimise the risk of loss of revenue.
• Will communicate with applicants verbally or written, explaining complex information about their case, and negotiating repayment plans with them.
• Managing difficult conversations with applicants when advising them of the outcome of their financial assessment, or if the accommodation will be cancelled.
• Respond to the applicants needs and problems with empathy, diplomacy and discretion, ensuring a high level of customer care at all times.
• To maintain a supportive, nurturing and empowering approach and where appropriate influencing and negotiating with the service user.
• To represent the company at various meetings, conferences and working groups, and to participate in other organisations activities, to promote and develop the service.
• The post-holder must be aware of the Authoritys Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults procedure and how to take appropriate action, as well as identifying signs of neglect and child protection issues.