Jobs in Colchester, United Kingdom

Sage Homes is an innovative Blackstone and Regis business addressing the housing crisis in England by making good homes affordable for people across the country who need them.

Since 2017 we have delivered around 17,000 new homes across affordable rent, shared ownership and social rent for individuals and families. In 2021 Sage Homes became the largest provider of new affordable housing in England, and we continue to deliver high quality affordable homes across the country.

We have invested more than £3 billion into high-quality affordable housing. Our entrepreneurial spirit combined with our technical expertise has got us to where we are today and will enable future sustainable growth.

The role of Income Officer is to maximise rental income for our Sage customers. This involves managing arrears, communicating with customers over the telephone and email, negotiating payment agreements in line with our arrears policy and procedure, and focusing on tenancy sustainment. Our goal is to prevent further accumulation of rent arrears by using prevention methods, conducting tenancy reviews, and providing continuous financial and welfare advice to customers as part of income collection. This role is within our Resident Services team, reporting into our Income Manager.

This role is a 12 Months FTC position and is a remote working role with required travel across the South/South West and meetings in our offices in Northampton and Covent Garden.

• Communicate with customers regarding rent accounts via phone and email.
• Manage rent arrears cases and negotiate payment arrangements.
• Collaborate with the financial wellbeing team to support tenancy sustainment.
• Provide advice on Welfare, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, and CAB.
• Liaise with managing agents and local authorities for consistent service.
• Stay updated on legislative and regulatory requirements for rental income.

• Experience working as an Income Officer/Debt Recovery and have up to date knowledge and understanding of arrears recovery, welfare benefits and court procedures.
• Knowledge of tenancy issues and Housing Law.
• Excellent communication skills and have a positive can do' attitude.
• IT literacy including Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Experience in presenting and representing arrears possession cases in court.
• Hold a full valid UK driving licence and access to a vehicle suitable for business purposes.

We are committed to ensuring you have the best career here at Sage. As well as regular support and guidance from your manager you can expect to receive a variety of learning and development opportunities to support you as you grow within our business. This includes internally and externally delivered development programmes and opportunities to study for professional accreditations and qualifications.

At Sage Homes, we want to empower diverse, ambitious people to thrive. We are fast-paced and inclusive, and encourage our people to use their passion, curiosity and inventiveness to help us create safe places for our customers to flourish.

To make sure our colleagues feel welcome and cared for, we provide a suite of excellent benefits, including:

• 25 days holiday, and an additional day for every year's service (up to five years)
• Annual discretionary bonus scheme
• A health cash plan, with financial support for a range of options including physiotherapy, opticians, dental and private online GP sessions
• Study support package, helping you achieve your personal and professional development ambitions
• Workplace Pension - matching personal contributions up to 5%
• Cycle to Work scheme, helping you save up to 40% on a new bike and accessories
• Electric car scheme, enabling you to rent a brand-new electric car at low-cost payments
• Wellbeing support through MyndUp
• Two days' paid volunteering leave a year, allowing you to support causes you care about
• Charity fundraising support, with match-funding up to £1,000 for good causes

We believe that investing in our people is key to our success. Our benefits are designed to support your well-being, professional growth, and work-life balance, ensuring you feel valued and empowered to make a difference every day