JOB SUMMARY AND LOCATION Finance Officer

• Located at 160 Tooley Street with some remote working.
• Reporting to the Revenue Service Charge Manager for repairs.
• Responsible for carrying out appropriate statutory consultation with leaseholders recognised tenants’ associations and applicants on qualifying long term agreements and qualifying revenue work in accordance with relevant legislation and good practice to secure the service charge recovery.
• To be the first point of contact for the Council in respect to all revenue service charge construction queries. Liaising as appropriate with central government, other local authorities and their associations, the courts, tribunals and professional bodies, representing the council’s interests and ensuring, as far as possible, that the Council’s position is reflected in pertinent legislation or best practice guides.
• Be responsible for responding to customers enquiries and complaints relating to the construction of revenue service charges. To investigate queries, make recommendations on adjustments and reply to correspondence.
• Be responsible for meeting individual and team targets in the delivery of the Homeowner service
• Managing and taking ownership of a demanding and varied case load with flexibility to ensure the effective operation of the team overall.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES Finance Officer

• To deliver excellent professional and specialist services to homeowners and their representatives in line with the Council’s vision, values, resources, strategic and service priorities.
• Responsible for constructing accurate and timely accounts and estimates for revenue service charges across a growing portfolio of properties, in a correct, open and transparent manner in accordance with the required industry and professional standards.
• in the production of accurate, complete, and timely actual costs for service charges to leaseholders and freeholders for the costs of providing services, repairs, maintenance, insurance, ground rent etc, is in accordance with their lease contract or deed of covenant
• To ensure that the extraction/collection of recharges to leaseholders and freeholders for the costs of providing services, repairs, maintenance, insurance, ground rent etc, in accordance with their lease contract or deed of transfer
• To reconcile block and estate costs totals to source data (including general ledger cost totals.) and adjustments. To check and validate apportioned costs
• To review costs areas for adequacy, book of records. This puts the post holder in the position of reviewing the budget control (budget and out turn) of many managers at detail level and involves communication at that level.
• To liaise with service providers to identify when statutory notices are required.
• Responsible for the service of appropriate statutory notices within the set time scales, according to procedure for qualifying revenue work on both leaseholders and Recognised Tenants Associations. To respond to all observations raised and maintaining a log of observations and replies for information purposes.
• Assist in the service of appropriate statutory notices to all leaseholders within the set time scales, according to procedure for qualifying long term agreements on both leaseholders and Recognised Tenants Associations, ensuring that the council will be able to collect the resultant service charge. To respond to all observations raised and maintaining a log of observations and replies for information purposes
• Assist with applications for dispensations to the First Tier Tribunal for both qualifying work and qualifying long term agreements where appropriate observations raised and maintaining a log of observations and replies for information purposes
• Assist with applications for dispensations to the First Tier Tribunal for both qualifying work and qualifying long term agreements where appropriate
• Respond to queries both written and verbal to a high standard and within the Council’s code of practice. To assist in answering members’ enquiries, formal complaints, freedom of information requests and data access requests in a timely and proficient manner
• To keep updated all the databases and records for the team to maintain complete and accurate dwelling specific service charge information – e.g. ground rent, Insurance, lease type, ownership details etc.
• To assist in the maintenance of the service charge module and fix asset register including the dwelling/block/estate structure.
• To maintain appropriate relationships with other departments of the council, external agencies and the community, and to develop joint initiatives where these add value to service delivery. To liaise where necessary with other departments, sections and outside agencies, including solicitors. To act in the council’s best interests at all times, whilst ensuring the services provided are in accordance with legislation, policy, procedure and the principles of best value.
• To represent Home Ownership Services at consultation and other meetings with homeowners, tenants and consultants concerning proposed qualifying long term agreements. To represent Home Ownership Services at Home Owners Council and other consultative bodies as necessary
• To work to targets agreed with the Revenue Service Charge Manager. To work with flexibility to ensure effective operation of the group.
• Development of active strategies for areas of work which engage and deliver homeowners priorities across the borough.
• To provide the general financial support and assistance to all sections of the HOS as required (for e.g. inputting invoices and credit notes, assisting with major reconciliation’s, assisting with new sales cases, pre assignment request, running IT processes). To provide a support to the revenue arrears and other teams justifying services charges
• To take responsibility for the accuracy completeness and control of projects assigned by accountants in the team. Ensure that all work is backed up and secure and is properly evidence and recorded.