Homeownership Billing and Mortgages Officer

Purpose of the job Homeownership Billing and Mortgages Officer To bill variable service charges and ad-hoc charges to homeowners in conjunction with the Billing Accountant. To be a first point of contact with respect to all issues relating to the Council’s mortgage portfolio, including RTB mortgages, housing associated mortgages, standard loans and court order charges. To maintain the mortgage portfolio and the processing of new loans, further advances, interest rate changes, reductions, repayments and redemptions in conjunction with the Mortgage Officer. To contribute to the compilation of annual statements of account for the HRA as relating to service charges To collate the management and overheads costs for the Billing Accountant for the annual revenue service charge billing To engage with the Council’s modernise agenda, helping to drive through digital and systems transformations. To provide technical expertise in the development of commercial opportunities for the team and service for maximisation of income. Principal accountabilities Homeownership Billing and Mortgages Officer • To undertake the annual billing runs for variable service charges to homeowners, and relevant account adjustments including credit and debit notes, write-offs and write-backs. To undertake ad-hoc billing in regards to both variable service charges and other fees and charges to homeowners. To undertake the production of notifications and regular statements of account for homeowners, and communications included with these runs. • To work with the Billing Accountant on the production of annual HRA statements of account in relation to service charge billing for sign off by the Strategic Director of Finance and Governance. • To identify and collate overheads and management costs related to various services provided to homeowners and charged as part of the annual revenue service charges, in accordance with the requirements of the Billing Accountant, for inclusion in the annual revenue service charges by the Revenue Service Charge Accountant. • In conjunction with the Mortgage Officer to administer the Council’s mortgage portfolio, including all correspondence, processing payments, interest rate changes, redemptions, removal of charges, initiating litigation where necessary and any customer queries. • To receive and process loan applications and open new mortgage accounts, liaising with Finance to ensure that accounts are reconciled correctly. • To carry out all service charge and ad-hoc billing in accordance with the lease and relevant case-law, applying the appropriate policies and procedures for both leasehold and freehold properties, taking action where necessary such as instigating litigation. • Be able to prioritise between conflicting demands and work to tight deadlines whilst maintaining quality of work. To operate flexibly to ensure the effective operation of the group as a whole. • To produce reports and statistics as required in respect of billing, mortgages, account actions and reconciliations. To use such reports and statistics for analysis and benchmarking, and to recommend and develop improvements in service. • To respond to enquiries and complaints from councillors and homeowners as and when required. KNOWLEDGE: 1 Knowledge of the pertinent Landlord and Tenant Acts, Housing Acts, and associated Regulations and Directions, and how they relate to public sector leasehold management and service charges. Knowledge of the FTT & County court proceedings Part qualified with a recognised professional accounting body, or relevant knowledge of accountancy principles in relation to a variable service charge portfolio and with reference to mortgages, audit procedures and invoicing. Knowledge of basic housing management services Understanding of and commitment to; Equal Opportunities Policy, Health and Safety Policy, No Smoking Policy EXPERIENCE: Homeownership Billing and Mortgages Officer Experience of leasehold/freehold management for a portfolio of residential leasehold and freehold properties in a mixed tenure environment. Experience of a range of debtors’ management systems and the use of computerised spreadsheets Experience of researching, compiling and presenting reports and procedures to a range of forums