Commercial Properties Officer

A Housing Association is currently looking for a number of Commercial Property Officers on a temporary basis for about 3 months.

Key responsibilities are as follows:

• Ensure our properties are managed to a high standard, with commercial customers receiving a professional, compliant and property management service.
• Meet all financial and service KPI’s through monitoring arrears, collection rates, property inspections and effective strategic void management.
• Build effective commercial relationships with internal and external stakeholders, customers, contractors and suppliers.
• Ensure compliance in all aspects of commercial property management, including Health and Safety, Building and Fire Safety regulations.
• Responsible for all rent and service charge billing and collection and to ensure all new lettings, lease renewals and rent reviews are completed in a timely manner.
• Provide an excellent professional and personal landlord service to all commercial tenants (existing and prospective) in accordance with policies and procedures.
• Develop and maintain meticulous records of all scheme details, property, customer contact, lease and tenancy information on our systems to ensure a full audit trail exists and key information is available to ensure continuity of service during periods of leave.
• Review supplier contracts regularly, identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve performance and efficiency.
• Ensure utility metering across common and demised areas is accurate and technically sound.
• Read, review and understand lease and documents, ensuring occupier compliance with obligations and expectations including maintenance, licence to assign, change of use, wayleaves, alterations and applications from occupiers in accordance with the relevant legislative guidance.
• Strategic review of due diligence information in preparation for acquisitions, purchases and sales.
• Formulate action plans for all ongoing tenant issues to deliver an excellent service.
• Carry out regular inspections and complete inspection reports where required.
• Explore and implement ways of providing social value from the commercial property portfolio.
• Manage the mitigation of business rates liabilities, and payments of business rates demands.
• Manage commercial property building insurance calculation and recharging.
• Ensure properties are maintained in good condition by inspecting, diagnosing, ordering and managing necessary repairs. Seek appropriate support and advice from surveyors and specialist contractors where necessary to resolve complex repair issues.
• Ensure commercial units in existing and new build properties are let or sold, developing and implementing strategies that complement our residential uses whilst maximising value of the commercial assets.
• Effectively manage building works including cyclical and structural works, repair and maintenance programmes, together with complex tenant fit outs liaising with surveyors, contractors and other professionals as required ensuring works are complete to standard and all necessary documentation is received.
• Review commercial service charge budgets and process across all mixed tenure schemes, ensuring compliance to enable recovery from our commercial customers.
• Effectively manage income and expenditure, being accountable for the expenditure for all properties, flagging potential high spends/overspends to management.
• Work with the management team to formulate a long-term budget and commercial strategy.
• Manage all payments to suppliers, including raising purchase orders, receipting all completed works/services.

Essential requirements:

• Experience of working in both professional commercial and residential management within housing or mixed-use environments.
• Experience of delivering excellent customer services that meet individual needs and performance requirements.
• Experience of project management and business improvement in a complex service delivery environment.
• Experience of building and developing strategic relationships with customers, partners and stakeholders for the benefit of the business and to continually improve service.
• Experience of developing and managing relationships with contractors and suppliers, managing agents and other property professionals.
• Experience and/or knowledge of commercial property legislation, including landlord and tenant and associated property management regulations would be advantageous.
• Intermediate IT and systems skills including Microsoft Office.
• Must be immediately available or on short notice.