Collection Officer

Location: Oldham

Hours: 30 hours per week

Reporting to: Income Collection Manager

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £30,353.50

First Choice Homes Oldham has an exciting opportunity for an Income Collection Officer to join our team and play a vital role in supporting customers to sustain their tenancies while ensuring effective income collection across our housing stock.

This is a varied and rewarding role where you'll work directly with customers, colleagues and partner organisations to maximise rental income, provide debt and benefit advice, and help residents access the support they need to maintain successful tenancies.

You'll play an important role in helping customers manage their rent accounts while supporting the organisation to maintain high levels of income collection.

By providing early intervention, tailored support and effective arrears management, you'll help customers overcome financial challenges, prevent homelessness and promote a positive payment culture throughout our communities.

Your work will directly support FCHO's commitment to delivering excellent services, strong communities and sustainable tenancies for residents across Oldham.

As an Income Collection Officer, you'll be responsible for managing rent accounts and recovering a range of housing‑related debts while providing excellent customer service and support.

• Collect current and former tenant arrears, garage and shop rent arrears, legal costs, recharges, housing benefit over payments and other debts owed to the organisation.
• Manage arrears cases from the earliest stage, making regular contact with customers to discuss their circumstances, agree affordable repayment arrangements and monitor progress until debts are cleared.
• Conduct customer interviews and undertake home visits in relation to rent payments and arrears recovery, in line with lone working procedures.
• Prepare legal documentation, attend court hearings and present evidence in possession and eviction cases, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation and court protocols.
• Attend evictions alongside County Court Bailiffs and complete inventories of any belongings remaining within properties.
• Achieve individual and team income collection targets while maintaining excellent customer service standards.
• Provide debt, budgeting and benefit advice to support customers in managing their rent accounts and financial commitments.
• Identify vulnerable customers and work closely with internal teams and external agencies to ensure appropriate support is in place.
• Make referrals to specialist support services to help customers access employment, financial assistance and homelessness prevention services.
• Analyse performance data and identify opportunities for targeted interventions and income maximisation initiatives.
• Produce accurate performance reports relating to rent collection and arrears recovery.
• Build strong partnerships with organisations such as advice agencies, financial inclusion providers and community support services.
• Work collaboratively with Neighbourhood Officers and other teams to deliver coordinated services tailored to customers' needs.
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of welfare reform, Universal Credit, housing benefits and relevant housing legislation.
• Positively represent First Choice Homes Oldham both internally and externally.

You will be a proactive and customer‑focused professional with strong communication, negotiation and problem‑solving skills, together with the ability to manage challenging situations confidently and professionally.

• Experience working in a fast‑paced, customer‑facing environment.
• Experience working to performance targets and achieving challenging objectives.
• Experience gathering information, analysing complex situations and making informed decisions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong customer service and relationship‑building abilities.
• Experience handling difficult conversations with empathy and professionalism.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to prioritise workloads effectively.
• The ability to work independently…