Service Charge Officer

You will be providing excellent customer service to our customers by ensuring service charges are budgeted and charged fairly to residents in accordance with legislation and agreements. An operational understanding of the application of service charges in the social housing sector is essential to the role. We support agile working, so you'll be provided all IT equipment to work flexibly between your home, and our Dartford office. Who are we? We're one of the top 30 housing associations in England, with homes spreading across London, Kent, Essex and Sussex. Our financial strength puts us in a good position to rise to challenges and plan for the future. Our purpose is to "open doors to better lives for our customers". We thrive to be customer pioneers; providing a great customer experience. We are also proud to announce that we have been awarded an accreditation for 'The Sunday Times Best Places to Work' 2024, based on our employee feedback. Your key tasks will include:

• Setting service charge estimates for all existing stock annually, complying with tenancy agreements and leases and adhering to current legislation.
• Regular reconciliation of scheme accounts on finance accounting system identifying any discrepancies and provision of reports to relevant departments to investigate and resolve.
• Reconciling actual costs for all stock with a variable service charge and issue year end statement of accounts, complying with agreements, leases and current legislation. Assist Team Leader in liaising with external auditors, providing resolution of queries relating to the year-end accounts.
• Monitoring the financial performance of Managing agents by ensuring compliance with leases and agreements from estimates & final accounts. Work with the Managing Agent Officer to challenge Managing Agents if accounts are inaccurate and to issue legal notices in cases of non - compliance.
• Reviewing all schemes ensuring existing reserve/sinking funds are up to date and accurately recorded or implemented if necessary and, following the annual reconciliation; notify residents (via audited accounts) of balance of reserve/sinking funds.
• Taking ownership to investigate and respond to any service related complaints/ queries from customers within set timescales at all times. This is to be carried out with reference to tenancy agreements and leases and current legislation.
• Providing advice & support to the business to produce accurate service charge estimates for new schemes, including the calculation of charges for Capital Projects Committee, and collating and interpreting all legal documentation to ensure service charges are set in accordance with the same.
• Attending & representing Moat at first-tier tribunal hearings and resident meetings in collaboration with relevant internal departments.
  
  A good standard of education, with good numerical ability in particular.
• A working knowledge of MS Office, with proficient intermediate use of MS Excel.
• Good understanding in the use of financial, and other, database systems.
• An operational understanding of all legislation and best practice as it relates to service charges.
• An operational understanding of the application of service charges in the social housing sector, including in the context of lease arrangements.