Income Collections Officer - Slough, England

Pinnacle Group provides people-first, integrated services across a range of community-facing assets and infrastructure – including multi-tenure housing, schools, open spaces, public buildings, utilities and broadband networks – as well as a range of complementary employment and wellbeing outcomes. Across the UK, Pinnacle supports over 300,000 homes, 200 schools and 80 public buildings creating value, providing stewardship and generating positive outcomes for our customers, our partners and our clients.

Our Homes business serves communities by providing trusted housing management solutions. We take a collaborative and commercially minded, yet socially principled approach across our portfolio of Affordable, Private Rented and Leasehold properties.

The Role

Pinnacle Group are looking for an Income Collection Officer to undertake a range of income collection duties relating to rent and service charge income; to provide a coordinated, flexible, and effective income collection service. For achieving and maintaining lowest possible levels of current rent and former tenancy arrears and ensure we maximise income recovery. You will be guided by the Income Manager and work with the housing management team to ensure delivery of the arrear’s targets.

Location: Slough office with travel to other sites as required

Duties/Key Responsibilities

• To ensure that excellent customer service standards are achieved, and core business objectives and performance indicators are met.
• Liaise with all Pinnacle Housing employees, clients, suppliers, external support agencies, DWP and Local Authorities
• To carry out all tasks in accordance with policies and procedures
• To be responsible for achieving individual targets and contributing to overall targets for the income service
• To effectively reduce all accounts in arrears to meet monthly targets. This will include producing arrears reports and letters, communicating with residents and drafting instructions for legal possession proceedings, serving Notices, home visits, applying for direct payments, attending court and providing appropriate advice and support to enable residents to sustain their tenancies
• To identify residents requiring specialist welfare benefit or financial inclusion advice and make referrals to the Welfare Advice Officers
• To communicate and liaise effectively with the Local Authority regarding Housing Benefit claims, with the DWP regarding Universal Credit claims, with social services and any other relevant agencies
• To respond to arrears correspondence and provide information in an appropriate format to the Income Manager or Contract Manager to enable replies to formal complaints concerning rent arrears
• To attend meetings as requested by the Income Manager
• To work effectively and efficiently, planning your own workload to ensure accounts are monitored on a weekly basis, to ensure targets are met. Work with the Income team and Income Manager to identify where improvements can be made and with colleagues to achieve organisation priorities and quality services.
• Ensure record keeping is up to date and all recovery action and correspondence are recorded on the appropriate housing management system
• Effective use of IT equipment and software including housing and property management software
• This role may include occasional working from home and other offices as determined by the Income Manager

Skills Required

• GCSE Maths & English Grade C or above or equivalent is essential
• Experience working in rent income collection for a housing association or local authority is essential
• Experience in using housing management systems
• Competent using a wide range of Microsoft Office packages particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook.
• Excellent communication skills (listening, written and oral) with an excellent standard of numeracy and literacy.
• The ability to work alone or as part of a team.
• Can demonstrate strong negotiating and influencing skills
• Aptitude in resolving issues with a customer-focused orientation

Pinnacle Group strives to be an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from anyone regardless of ethnic origin, gender, disability, age, trade union activity, marital status, religious belief or sexual orientation.

We are Armed Forces friendly. We welcome applications from ex-Armed Forces personnel, reservists, armed forces veterans, cadet instructors and military spouses/partners.

Contact information

OSG CS