Full time (37.5 hrs p/w) salary £30,160
Leeds Office (Horsforth) – 3 days office based, 2 days home based Full-time (37.5 hours) - Monday to Friday (will consider part-time applicants working a minimum of 25 hours per week. Working days between office and home TBC)
We have an exciting opportunity to join our Rental Income team as an Income Officer The role is responsible for delivering a wide range of duties focused on maximising income streams and reducing debt. The post holder will ensure that financial activities are proactive, with staff and stakeholders fully engaged in achieving this objective.
Encircle Housing was established in 2018 and is a Community Benefit Society with charitable objectives. We are a growing business with over 130 properties across England, Wales and N. Ireland.
We provide high quality specialist supported housing specifically designed to meet the need of the individual, relating to learning disability, mental-ill health, acquired brain injury, physical or sensory disability, or a diagnosed long-term condition such as dementia.
We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe and secure in their own home. We ensure tenants achieve this and more, by providing them with high quality housing with support provided by our partner care providers. We work closely with our new and existing tenants, their families and support agencies to gain a full understanding of their individual needs and housing requirements.
The Income Officer is responsible for maximising rental income and minimising arrears through proactive income management and effective engagement with tenants and key stakeholders. The post holder will monitor rent accounts, take appropriate action to recover outstanding debts, and ensure accurate and timely collection of rent and service charges. Working independently, they will develop and maintain efficient systems and processes to support income collection, while building strong relationships with tenants, support providers, Local Authorities, and Housing Benefit teams to sustain tenancies and optimise financial performance.
Key Responsibilities will include:
Housing Benefit responsibilities
· Ensure all partners are fully aware of the processes involved in submitting claims and rent administration.
· Ensure all new schemes have rent/income systems and processing in place prior to going live.
· Contribute to the setting and submissions of rents and service charges for new services.
· Monitor progress and assist local authorities with information requests or other queries during new claim processing.
· Manage overpayment requests, checking validity and challenging/refunding as appropriate.
· To contribute to negotiations with Local Authorities regarding potential rent levels.
· To have an overview of all live claims ensuring breaks in claims or queries are quickly and appropriately responded to.
· To work closely with support providers giving advice and support in relation to Housing Benefit.
· To provide management Information and reports as required.
Income responsibilities
· Gain full understanding of the income / rents part of the SASSHA system advising and training support partners with portal access as necessary.
· Support the accurate and timely maintenance of rent accounts.
· View and monitor all allocated rent accounts weekly.
· Monitor and effectively manage arrears levels including former tenant arrears.
· The timely and accurate production of rental invoices and void requisitions
· Quarterly and ad hoc raising of rent statements.
· Ensuring contractual arrangements are adhered by timely recording and reconciliation of rent accounts.
· Ensure other sources of Income including commissioned services and contracted services are Invoiced and received in a timely manner.
· Monitoring, authorisation and chasing of invoices for service charges, rental income and void invoices ensuring their collection and any payments are processed in line with procedure.
· Provide support to recovery voids income from our care providers and partners in accordance with contractual commitments.
· Support year end work and answer all questions from internal and external customers regarding rental income and debt collection.
· Supports colleagues with audit and recommendations for best practice in processes.
· and a good general understanding of the system as a whole.
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of one years’ experience in a financial administration role and be able to demonstrate the following skills:
- Experience within income recovery, rent arrears and/or housing income management
- Experience of working for a Registered Provider/Housing Association
- A strong working knowledge of Housing Benefit regulation and claims process
- A solid understanding of Welfare Reform and proposed changes to the Supported Living funding
- Ability to manage a high-volume caseload and work effectively toward collection targets and deadline
- Excellent Administrative and numerical skills with accurate record keeping and attention to detail.
- Good time management and ability to work with competing deadlines
- Highly IT literate, with excellent spreadsheet modelling skills
- Understanding of housing benefit
- Able to manage own workload and work independently as well as within the team framework.
- Ability to document processes for the benefit of the team and others.
- Good understanding of the need to ensure and deliver good data security
- A ‘Can Do’ and ‘willing to help’ attitude is essential
- Good communicator, having the confidence to interact effectively with different people, face to face, over the phone and by email
- Deal sensitively with all enquiries and tenants queries
- Adapt and respond effectively to change
- Ability to work reliably and be self-motivated
- Team player who thinks of the whole of the income team as well as regional teams.
- Highly IT literate, with excellent spreadsheet modelling skills
You should have excellent standards of customer care and be able to demonstrate a real empathy with tenants with complex care and support needs.
If you are interested in this opportunity, we would love to hear from you so please click to apply.
We reserve the right to close this advertisement early and interview early, if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Therefore, please apply early to ensure that you are considered for the post. Encircle Housing is an equal opportunity employer.
Closing date for applications
Sunday 21st June 2026
Interview date
TBC
Pay: £30,160.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee discount
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- Which of the following best describes your experience with housing management systems, for example SASSHA?
I am fully proficient.
I have limited experience.
I have no experience.
Experience:
- income collection: 1 year (required)
- housing benefit claim: 1 year (preferred)
Language:
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Leeds LS18 5AZ
