Home Ownership Recovery Officer
Location: Harlow
Full time, Temporary
Up to 6 months
£17.16 - £17.78 per hour
Closing Date: Monday 18th August 2025
Essex County Council (ECC) is supporting Harlow Council to recruit a Home Ownership Recovery Officer on a full-time, temporary contract of up to 6 months. Please note that due to the nature of this role, you will be required to work on-site, 3 days per week, increasing to 4 days in January 2026.
Harlow is a district of contrasts and an ideal location to both live and work. The town is thriving, with excellent shopping and leisure facilities, good road links to the M11 and M25, and excellent rail connections to London and Stansted Airport, just 35 and 20 minutes away respectively.
Job Purpose
The Council is committed to high-quality customer care and service delivery. The post holder will work within the Home Ownership Team, responsible for all undisputed or undefended leasehold service charge recovery, including debt management duties and managing Council loans to leaseholders, in accordance with the Council's policies and practices. The goal is to deliver a first-class, value-for-money, customer-focused housing service.
The Role
Working in our busy Homeownership Team, you will assist the Senior Recovery Officer with tasks such as collecting service charges (annual and major works), recovering unpaid charges, administering service charge loans, and supporting related functions. Flexibility to attend meetings outside normal hours is required. A driving license and access to a vehicle or other means of transport are necessary.
You will handle leasehold service charge recovery and initiate legal action for undisputed service charge debt, including annual charges and major works. You will be the main contact for leaseholders regarding debt issues and support them in sustaining their leases. Responsibilities include issuing invoices, demands, and direct debit requests in line with statutes and policies, investigating lease breaches, and taking appropriate action, especially regarding non-payment of ground rent and service charges.
You will consult with the Senior Recovery Officer on complex cases, ensure vulnerable leaseholders receive support, and adopt the Council's 'can't pay, won't pay' ethos. Collaboration with internal teams and external service providers will be essential to resolve disputes. Accurate record-keeping and GDPR compliance are mandatory, along with maintaining statistical data. You will also handle legal claims for undisputed service charge debt and recommend cases for legal action.
Next Steps
If you're interested in this role, please apply via the Working for Essex website. For queries, email us at [contact email].
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