Leasehold Team Manager

Working on behalf of a Local Authority, Aatom Recruitment has an opportunity for a Leasehold Team Manager on a 3 months contract with the possibility for further extension.

The Leasehold Team Manager leads a team comprising leasehold officers and home ownership assistants who:

• collect service charges, building insurance, ground rent, shared ownership rent and ad hoc recharges across a residential and commercial property portfolio;
• provide a front-line leasehold management service including processing legal notices and applications for alterations, sales, subletting, re-mortgages etc;
• investigate and resolve breach of lease cases

Key responsibilities:

• To be the operational lead for the team. Manage resources and monitor all aspects of the team’s work including workload allocation, quality, risk management etc, delegating to and empowering the team as appropriate. Optimise service delivery through agile and flexible working. Also proactively manage customer demand for the service, providing an excellent service while seeking to reduce unnecessary customer contact and promote channel shift to online self-service.
• Line management of your team including recruitment, training and development, appraisals, managing attendance, performance and conduct.
• Maximise income through the effective and efficient collection of service charges and other property charges
• Investigate and resolve complex disputes and legal challenges regarding service charges and other leasehold issues. Negotiate with leaseholders, exploring all reasonable options and making settlement recommendations for senior management to consider. Carry out site inspections in a lone working capacity as required.
• Support the Home Ownership Manager to provide operational leadership and project management for leasehold services, including setting and delivering the annual service plan and meeting key team objectives.
• Undertake project work to ensure continuous improvements to business processes and to enhance service delivery, including the ongoing digitalisation of the service. Help us to rethink and modernise our ways of working so we continually deliver better value for money services. This includes seeking and promoting opportunities for further efficiencies; working on digital transformation projects; actively promoting the use of new software/technologies and helping staff with digital upskilling.
• Ensure policies and procedures comply with all relevant legislation, leases and good practice, and that processes are in place to monitor quality, compliance and performance including customer feedback.
• Assist the Home Ownership Manager with the yearly service charge invoicing project, ensuring that invoices comply with statutory and contractual requirements and are customer friendly.
• Provide expertise, coaching and training to colleagues on service charges and leasehold matters, including managers, other departments.
• Represent the client at internal and external meetings, acting as an ambassador for the client to enhance its reputation.
• Deputise for the Home Ownership Manager.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of working in residential leasehold management, housing or debt recovery. An IRPM qualification (preferably associate or member level) or equivalent professional qualification would also be desirable
• Experience of preparing for and presenting evidence at First Tier Tribunals (FTT) and County Courts.
• Experience of investigating complex casework, disputes and complaints and the ability to identify and implement customer-focused solutions
• Knowledge of current legislation, case law and best practice relating to the management of residential leasehold properties
• Excellent IT skills in Microsoft packages (especially Excel), and the ability to effectively use housing and document management systems
• Proven project management skills, including the ability to scope, plan, and deliver effective project work within agreed timescales.
• Excellent problem-solving and negotiating skills and experience of dealing with emotive situations.
• Ability to set and meet performance targets to achieve agreed objectives and provide suitable monitoring arrangements to achieve these

If you are interested in this role and want to know more about it, please contact Anisha.