Rent Recovery Officer

Are you an empathetic and results driven professional looking to make a real difference in the housing sector?

We are seeking a dedicated Rent Recovery Officer to join our team to help sustain tenancies while reducing rent arrears across our portfolio.

About The Role

As a Rent Recovery Officer, you’ll play a key role in managing rent collection and arrears recovery, supporting tenants in maximising their income and sustaining their tenancies. You will engage with various internal teams and external agencies, balancing firm but fair enforcement with a commitment to excellent customer service.

Key Responsibilities

• Rent Collection: Deliver a responsive rent collection service using various contact methods, including phone, email, text, and in person visits.
• Income Maximisation: Support tenants in understanding and accessing benefits, including Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, while encouraging them to prioritise rent payments.
• Pre-Tenancy Support: Conduct affordability assessments for new tenants during pre-tenancy checks.
• Collaboration: Work closely with Local Authorities, DWP, Customer and Neighbourhood Officers, and support teams to ensure benefits are maximised and prevent homelessness.
• Court Action and Evictions: Serve notices for arrears, prepare court applications using Possession Claims Online (PCOL), attend court hearings, and manage the eviction process with bailiffs.
• Data Reporting: Regularly provide updates on arrears levels, trends, and progress towards KPIs.
• Compliance and Knowledge: Stay informed about changes to legislation and organisational policies regarding rent recovery and tenancy management.
  
  

What We’re Looking For

We are seeking an organised and proactive individual with excellent communication and negotiation skills, who can handle challenging situations with professionalism and empathy.

Essential Skills And Experience

• Previous experience in the social housing sector.
• Understanding of DWP benefits (Housing Benefit, Universal Credit) and familiarity with tenancy legislation.
• Strong IT proficiency (Word, Excel, Outlook), numeracy, and written communication.
• Confident, assertive, and able to manage competing priorities effectively.
• A valid driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use.
  
  

Desirable Skills And Experience

• Experience attending court for rent arrears cases.
• Knowledge of housing tenures, including shared ownership and assured tenancies.
• Familiarity with county court protocols and tenancy legislation.
  
  

If you are interested in applying for this job, please make sure you meet the following requirements as listed below.

• Please be advised that this position is subject to an Enhanced DBS check*
  
  

Further Information

For the full job description and person specification for the role, please see the attachment at the bottom of this page. Should you have any queries about this vacancy, please email and we will respond as soon as possible.

As part of our application process, we ask for a covering statement and CV so we can assess your application against our essential and desired criteria as set out in the job description and person specification. Please include in your covering statement how you meet the criteria so we can see how well you match our requirements and give your application the consideration it deserves.

Thank you for your interest in Paradigm Housing Group thus far.

Shortlisting will be conducted in line with the essential and desirable criteria set out in the person specification. We reserve the right to close this role earlier than the published date should a suitable candidate be identified.

We are Paradigm Housing Group.

We manage more than 15,000 homes across the South East.

We know that house prices in the areas where we work are high, both to buy and rent. We want to help more people have a safe and sustainable home that they can afford.

As a charity, the money we make goes into building new homes and providing an excellent service for residents.