Income Services Officer

Birmingham City Council; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 22,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Great pension scheme

Well-being support

Annual travel passes

Discounts at city centre venues

Job summary

Birmingham City Council's Rent Service (Finance Directorate) focuses on the annual collection of rent and recovery of housing debt. The team supports tenants with advice and helps maintain a strong payment culture to maximise income through welfare benefits.

The role includes negotiating payments, communicating with customers by calls and letters, and handling cases from start to finish. A hybrid working pattern is available, with work from council buildings as needed.

Qualifications

• Negotiation skills and ability to work in a team.
• Planning and organisational skills to meet deadlines.
• High-level verbal and written communication.

Responsibilities

• Make outbound telephone calls to negotiate and take payments to clear rent debts and advise customers on resolving debt.
• Send correspondence to inform customers of current rent account status and prompt contact for debt resolution.
• Manage cases end to end, assess customers' circumstances and provide guidance per policies.
• Access, file and update information on computer systems, summarising contacts and actions taken with customers.
• Carry out Rent Service administrative tasks as directed by Income Services Team Leaders and Management Officers.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Teamwork

Planning and organisational skills

Verbal and written communication

Job description

The Rent Service is part of the Finance Directorate of Birmingham City Council and has significant responsibilities for income collection to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). We are responsible for the annual collection of £300 million housing rents and also have responsibility for the recovery of former tenancy debt and Housing Benefit Overpayments from Local Authority tenants. Our purpose is to maximise the collection of rent by providing our tenants with advice and support in order to prevent rent debt. We aim to promote self-sufficiency and identify vulnerable tenants at an early stage, whilst promoting and maintaining a strong payment culture and maximise income through receipt of relevant welfare benefits.

• Contacting Birmingham City Council customers by outbound telephone calls to negotiate and take payments in order to clear their rent debts and to advise customers of what is required in order to resolve debt on their rent accounts
• Contacting Birmingham City Council customers by correspondence to advise them of the current situation with their rent account and to prompt contact where customers have fallen into debt so that corrective action may be taken
• Managing cases end to end, reviewing and assessing customer's circumstances and making appropriate decisions whilst providing advice and guidance to customers in line with current policies and procedures.
• Accessing, filing and updating of information on computer systems using clear and concise language in order to summarise the content of any contact with customers and actions taken.
• To carry out Rent Service administrative tasks as directed by Income Services Team Leaders and Management Officers
  You may have experience of dealing with and talking to customers in a target driven environment and will need to possess verbal and written communication skills of a high level.

Ideally you will be possess good negotiation skills, you should be able to work well as part of a team, with evidence of planning and organisational skills in order to allow the delivery of tasks within set deadlines and to effectively prioritise tasks. The role is hybrid however the post holder would be required to work from Birmingham City Council buildings as business needs dictate.

Working for Birmingham City Council is more than just a job; it's about making life better for the 1 million plus people who live and work in the city., The Council is a fantastic place to work. You will find an organisation that is both challenging and supportive; with a leadership impatiently adventurous in its pursuit of excellence. There is a clear vision which is ensuring that the Council is working for communities today and building for tomorrow, we focus our resources on five key priorities:

• A Prosperous Birmingham: through a focus on inclusive economic growth, tackling unemployment, attracting inward investment, and maximising the benefits of the Commonwealth Games.
• An Inclusive Birmingham: through a focus on tackling poverty and inequality, empowering citizens, promoting diversity and civic pride, and supporting and enabling all children and young people to thrive.
• A Safe Birmingham: through a focus on making the city safer, safeguarding vulnerable citizens, increasing affordable housing, and tackling homelessness.
• A Healthy Birmingham: through a focus on tackling health inequalities, encouraging physical activity and healthy living, supporting mental health, and improving outcomes for adults with disabilities and older people.
• A Green Birmingham: through a focus on street cleanliness, improving air quality, continuing the route to net zero, and becoming a city of nature.

We see the Council's role as providing strategic leadership - that's being able to visualise a new future for the city and equipping others to share our vision. We want to ensure the provision of services for all, so we can support those least able to support themselves by working with partners and putting citizens and neighbourhoods at the heart of our decision-making. We are always looking for people who put the customer at the centre of their approach, with a commitment to excellence to help us achieve our vision. We will support you to develop and thrive in your role, building a pathway for long-term success, with lots of development opportunities, such as apprenticeships.

In return, we offer you excellent terms and conditions, generous annual leave, a great pension scheme, well-being support, annual travel passes and discounts at a number of city centre establishments.