Leasehold Officer / Service Charge Officer
Temporary Contract
Job Details
Client: North Yorkshire Council
Service Area: Community Development / Housing / Income Services
Hours: 37 hours per week
Working Pattern:
Hybrid working
Office attendance required 2–3 days per week initially
Start Date: 06 July 2026
End Date: 12 October 2026
Assignment Length:
3 months initially, with a view to extend
Location
Client Location:
District Council Office
Rotary Way
Northallerton
DL6 2UU
Office Base Options:
Richmond, Harrogate or Selby office can be used as the base.
Pay
PAYE Rate: £17.85 per hour
Job Overview
North Yorkshire Council is seeking an experienced Leasehold Officer / Service Charge Officer to support the Housing Income Services team.
The role will focus on the management of leaseholder accounts, service charges, shared ownership charges, income collection and arrears recovery. The successful candidate will manage a caseload of leasehold accounts, support customers in financial difficulty, negotiate payment plans, maximise income collection and take appropriate recovery action where required.
This role requires strong experience in social housing, leasehold or service charge account management, housing arrears recovery, customer contact, financial hardship support and working with vulnerable customers.
Important – Please Read Carefully
This is a specialist leasehold, service charge and housing income recovery role.
Candidates must have experience of housing management within a social housing environment, debt recovery, housing arrears or leasehold/service charge account management.
The role may involve enforcement action, court paperwork, County Court applications, Section 166 Notices, service charge recovery, payment plans, direct debit administration, welfare benefit signposting and dealing with customers in financial hardship.
Candidates without social housing, leasehold, service charge, arrears recovery or housing income experience are unlikely to be considered.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage a caseload of leasehold accounts
- Manage service charges and shared ownership charges
- Carry out day-to-day account management and income collection activity
- Undertake arrears intervention and preventative action
- Engage with new customers and liaise with legal services to set up tenure agreements and customer accounts
- Maintain accurate customer account records and case notes
- Take appropriate recovery action where required
- Negotiate realistic payment plans based on customer income and expenditure
- Support customers to sustain leasehold or shared ownership arrangements
- Identify welfare benefit, Housing Benefit, DHP and Council Tax reduction entitlements
- Support customers with Universal Credit and Housing Benefit issues
- Enforce payment of housing charges where lease terms have been breached
- Progress cases through legal processes where required
- Serve appropriate forfeiture paperwork, notices and court documentation
- Submit unpaid housing charge and debt recovery cases to County Court
- Present cases at court hearings to obtain debt orders, costs, interest, possession orders or lease forfeiture orders where applicable
- Attend evictions where required to regain possession of properties
- Take electronic payments and handle payment information securely
- Set up and amend direct debit instructions
- Administer direct debit recalls, cancellations and payment changes
- Produce direct debit notification letters and failed payment notices
- Recover recharged repairs, support charge accounts and former tenant debts
- Assist with annual charge reviews, valuations, management fee calculations and retrospective billing
- Review credit balances and arrange refunds in line with procedure
- Identify irrecoverable debt and schedule bad debts for write-off
- Liaise with Homeless Prevention, Housing Management, Anti-Social Behaviour teams and external agencies
- Work with money advisors, debt collection agencies and County Courts
- Maintain accurate records in line with GDPR and information governance requirements
- Raise safeguarding concerns where appropriate
Essential Experience & Skills
- Experience of housing management within a social housing environment
- Experience of leaseholder account management, service charges or housing income management
- Experience of debt recovery, housing arrears recovery or enforcement
- Experience working with vulnerable customers in financial hardship
- Experience delivering customer-focused services in different settings
- Awareness of housing legislation and landlord responsibilities
- Understanding of leaseholder obligations
- Experience working with other agencies
- Awareness of Information Governance and Data Protection principles
- Awareness of equality legislation
- Safeguarding awareness
- Good numeracy, English language and computer literacy skills
- Ability to explain policies and procedures clearly
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to listen, show empathy and remain professional in stressful situations
- Ability to follow procedures and meet deadlines
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to negotiate payment arrangements and manage difficult conversations
- Ability to work under pressure with customers who may have high expectations
- Ability to build constructive working relationships
- Ability to work flexibly to meet operational needs
- Ability to meet the travel requirements of the post
- Ability to adapt to different situations and work independently
Qualifications
Essential:
Educated to GCSE level standard or equivalent, with minimum Grade C or equivalent in Maths and English.
Desirable
- Housing-related qualification, such as NVQ Level 3 or above in Housing or related field
- Working knowledge of welfare benefits
- Mediation or conflict management experience
- Experience using CX, NEC Housing or other housing management software
- Understanding of court protocol and court attendance
- Experience working in challenging or confrontational situations
- Experience working with external agencies
- Full driving licence and access to a vehicle for business use
Additional Information
The role is office based with hybrid working arrangements available.
Candidates must be able to attend the office 2–3 days per week initially.
Richmond, Harrogate or Selby office can be used as the base.
Disclaimer
On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role.
I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify Fix Space Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.
RQ1748068
Pay: £17.85 per hour
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience managing leaseholder accounts, service charges, shared ownership charges or housing-related income accounts within a social housing or local authority environment?
- Have you carried out housing arrears recovery, debt recovery, payment plan negotiation or enforcement action with customers in financial hardship?
- Do you understand leaseholder obligations, service charge recovery, Section 166 Notices, court paperwork or other legal recovery processes linked to housing charges?
- Have you worked with vulnerable customers, welfare benefits, Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Discretionary Housing Payments or income maximisation support?
- Can you work hybrid with 2–3 days per week initially from a North Yorkshire Council office base such as Richmond, Harrogate or Selby?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Northallerton North DL6 2UU
