Collections Officer

Collections Officer Lambeth The post holder will work as part of a specialist team with responsibility for collecting service charges. They will be required to manage a large portfolio of service charge accounts and to maintain contact with account holders to ensure that payments are kept up to date, issuing letters and statements where necessary. They will be responsible for authorising payment plans and checking that these are maintained. Liaising with other teams as required, they will ensure that customers' service charge queries are resolved. They will also be responsible for recommending legal action in instances of non-payment. Principal Accountabilities Manage a portfolio of service charge accounts, working to targets set by the Collections Manager. Monitor individual accounts, determining and taking appropriate action to ensure that account holders pay service charges in accordance with the obligations under their lease. Maintain contact with account holders through letter, email, telephone, or face-to-face as appropriate; issue statements and other account documentation on request from the account holder. Advise the account holder on the legal and statutory basis of service charges as appropriate. Investigate any issues raised by the account holder with the accounting process, with service charges, and other issues, working closely with other teams within Home Ownership. Advise the account holder on alternative sources of information, such as the CAB, and liaise with the CAB where necessary. Liaise with and respond to elected members on collections issues as required ? Investigate issues with the lease and determine that service charges are in line with the provisions of the lease; ensure that any billing errors are noted and corrected. Ensure that customer accounts are handled with strict fiduciary control and that all transactions are fully audited and documented