Rent Officer

Job Introduction

The city council is the biggest landlord in Milton Keynes with thousands of properties across the city.

As Rent Officer, you’ll maximise the collection of rent arrears and other sources of housing related income. You’ll work to reduce the overall levels of debt owed to the city council to help maximise income collection.

The Income Team is fast paced so you’ll need to be calm under pressure, adaptable, flexible and able to find the right solutions as problems occur. You’ll lead by example and have a hands-on can-do approach.

This is a great opportunity to work in a team where no two days are the same. On occasion you’ll be required to work outside of your normal working hours, and this could include weekend work.

Interviews will be help on 2 April.

For further enquiries or an informal chat please contact Ellen Matthews on 01908 253049 or James Terry on 01908 253108.

Main Responsibility

• Maximise the collection of rent, arrears and other sources of income and reduce the level of debt, both to help sustain tenancies and to maintain the viability of the Housing Revenue Account.
• Proactively managing arising work, including addressing complex and difficult tenancy and social issues with residents, signposting, and making referrals as appropriate.
• Prepare cases for legal action and represent the city council at court and ensure that evidence is presented accurately and appropriately.
• Ensure that tenancy breaches are identified and reported on precisely and appropriately.
• Assist tenants in maximising income and give advice or where appropriate, referrals on money management matters, empowering and signposting residents to find solutions and appropriate support.
• Carry out visits to all appropriate venues to ensure prompt responses to issues to support the income maximisation for the city council. The majority of visits will be conducted alone therefore processes to ensure safe working must be followed.
• Be the responsible officer for income collection and maximisation across a defined patch and/or function, providing expert advice and support to tenants and colleagues to enable them to play their role in income collection.
• Proactively work with residents to prevent evictions, identifying issues and working with residents, colleagues, and partner agencies to reduce the risk of escalation and tenancy failure. This will include understanding and working empathically with people through complex situations, arranging multi-agency meetings to support risk management and creation and review of robust actions plans, ensuring assigned actions are completed.

The Ideal Candidate

• Chartered Institute of Housing Professional Qualification Level 3 or equivalent.
• Able to demonstrate sound knowledge of tenancy management relating to Housing Act of 1985.
• Empathic and robust approach to managing rent recovery from a wide spectrum of people, with ability to adapt communication style.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to gain the respect of multi professional teams, enthuse and motivate individuals and teams.
• Ability to meet challenging deadlines and delivering under pressure.
• Experience of managing and evaluating risk dynamically, employing professional curiosity and completion of complex decision making while working independently.
• Ability to understand the political, social, and economic drivers and their impact on residents’ lives, demonstrating the use of this knowledge to mentor residents and communities in positive behaviours.
• Have a full UK driving licence and be able to provide evidence of your vehicle insurance with business cover and use of a vehicle.
• Should you be offered the role, as part of the pre-employment checks a Basic DBS will be actioned for you

Package Description

In addition to your salary, we offer a range of benefits including:

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years.  In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.

• Excellent pension – everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.

• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support and a childcare subsidy.

• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.

• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Our roles are either designated ‘site based’ or ‘home based’. ‘Site based’ roles can include up to two days a week working from home whilst ‘home based’ roles are based at home four days a week.  Of course, managers designate which category roles are in based on the needs of the service and the circumstances.

About The Organisation

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference. 

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.

If you’d like to know more about how we do things and what matters to us, take a look at our short booklet What makes us Milton Keynes City Council.