Service Charge Accountant

MSV Housing Group; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A housing organization in Swindon seeks a Service Charge Accountant to ensure accurate service charge setting and financial reporting. This role involves compliance with regulations, financial management, and collaboration across teams to enhance service charge processes. Ideal candidates are part-qualified accountants or possess extensive relevant experience, ready to support a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Benefits include flexible working, generous holiday, and development opportunities.

Benefits

Flexibility on work location

33 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme with matching contributions

Health cash plan

Enhanced sick pay

Wellbeing support

Learning and development opportunities

Commitment to Equality and Inclusion

Qualifications

• Extensive experience working within a service charge team.
• Experience with social housing rents and service charges.
• Ability to analyze large complex data sets to produce reports.

Responsibilities

• Ensure rents and service charges comply with regulations.
• Record and validate service charge income and expenditure.
• Lead on external audit queries and maintain financial controls.
• Collaborate with internal teams to set service charges.
• Maintain accurate data and implement process improvements.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Financial management

Analytical skills

Financial controls knowledge

Education

Part qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA / CIPFA)

Experience in finance team

Job description

At MSV Housing we're committed to making sure our customers have good quality safe homes and our Service Charge Accountant is key to making this happen.

Reporting to our Finance Business Partner, you will provide support by ensuring accurate rent and service charge setting, monitoring, and financial reporting in compliance with regulatory requirements. You will maintain robust audit trails, deliver transparent cost recovery, and provide timely financial information to stakeholders. In addition, we are looking for candidates that have a passion to advocate on behalf of people and communities.

Responsibilities

• Regulatory Compliance & Accuracy: Ensure rents and service charges are set, managed, and monitored in line with statutory and regulatory requirements, maintaining transparency and accuracy.
• Financial Management & Reporting: Record and validate service charge income and expenditure, produce monthly management accounts, and prepare audited year‑end accounts and annual statements.
• Audit & Controls: Lead on external audit queries, maintain robust financial controls, and complete monthly balance sheet reconciliations to ensure data integrity.
• Collaboration & Technical Support: Work with internal teams and development colleagues to set service charges for new schemes, provide guidance on compliance, and support customer consultations.
• Systems & Process Improvement: Maintain accurate data across financial and housing systems, implement process improvements, and ensure timely updates to charges and reconciliations.

Qualifications

• Part qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA / CIPFA) or extensive experience working within a service charge team.
• Experience of working within a finance team in a complex organisation.
• Experience of social housing rents and service charges.
• Robust knowledge of the legislation for the calculation and implementation of service charges.
• Sound understanding of financial controls & processes.
• Ability to analyse large complex data sets to produce reports and deliver information to a range of audiences.

Benefits

• Flexibility on where you work with home working kit provided.
• 33 days holiday per year plus bank holidays, and a holiday a buy scheme.
• Company pension scheme with up to 10% matched contributions.
• Company funded access to a health cash plan, where you can claim back costs of everyday health treatments such as optical, dental and much more.
• Enhanced sick pay with up to 3 months full pay and 3 months half pay.
• Health and wellbeing support including an employee assistance programme, free counselling, mental health first aiders and numerous wellbeing initiatives.
• Life assurance subject to being a member of our company pension scheme.
• Learning and development to support you to develop the skills you need to fulfil your role and progress in your career.
• Commitment to Equality and Inclusion with employee network groups covering anti‑racism, LGBTQ+, disability and long‑term health conditions, carers, and menopause.

We're passionate about inclusion and we'd love to hear from people from diverse backgrounds for this role.

MSV are committed to Equality and Inclusion. All applications are scored against the essential criteria of the role; however, we encourage candidates to submit an amended CV if they can do so. MSV are also committed to supporting you to work and life, including with any caring or parental responsibilities you might have, and have a range of flexible working options and wellbeing support available to all colleagues to facilitate this.