Addition role requirements Basic DBS check What are we looking for? We have an exciting opportunity for an Income Legal Officer to join our expanding Income team on a permanent basis. This role will provide a legal enforcement service to the Income Services Department including preparation, issuing and enforcement of Rent Possession and Money Claim proceedings relating to rent arrears and debt owed to PA Housing by current and former residents; preparation of pre-trial legal documentation relating to proceedings such as Witness Statements; working with external contractors attending Court Hearing`s on behalf of PA Housing; and presentation of cases in the County Court relating to rent arrears and debt where Hearings are conducted remotely. This role can offer hybrid working, meaning you will be required to be in the office for around 2/3 days a week with the rest being from home, however we may need you to be in the office more within your probation, whilst you get up to speed. Some of the key tasks and responsibilities include: Prepare Court proceedings, including enforcement proceedings, for the Income Team using `Possession Claims Online`, `Money Claim Online` and manual processes where necessary and prepare pre-trial legal paperwork including detailed witness statements and a robust pre-Court case file in line with current legislation and policy, current Civil Procedure Rules and the pre-action protocol Negotiate payment arrangements when required and to help prevent evictions, support residents through the legal process and offer general tenancy sustainment support, referring to relevant in-house teams and sign-posting to external support providers where required; to maximise the opportunity of sustaining tenancies and recovering debt Be the first-point-of-contact liaison with external contractors employed to represent PA Housing in Court including building networking and stakeholder relationships to maximise the effectiveness of the legal process; and monitoring the performance of these contractors Represent PA Housing in Court, litigation, tribunal or other proceedings for rent arrears and debt, where those proceedings are being conducted remotely including liaising and negotiating with solicitors, advice workers, witnesses, stakeholders and other advocates representing the debtor Keep excellent records in order to generate good quality evidence; prepare reports, statistics and effective case histories and identify appropriate interventions and solutions Support and work with the Income Manager in keeping up to date with current legislation and best practice to ensure high standards and continuous improvement of services, processes and policy reflecting continuing changes in the legal framework Provide advice on court litigation or other proceedings to Income Officers and other colleagues where required Proactively participate in legal forums and other media to ensure current interpretation of housing law, statutory, regulatory requirements and welfare reform To be successful in this role, we d be looking for the following Possess an excellent knowledge of best practice and statutory/contractual issues relating to income and debt recovery including court/legal processes and the pre-action protocol Have good knowledge of benefits and an understanding of the impact of Welfare Reform Have an understanding of the difference between priority and secondary debts Practical experience of using Landlord and Tenant legislation and best practice Experience of working effectively in a target driven operational environment Experience within a customer service environment working for a Housing Association or other public service organisation, in a capacity which involved face to face interaction with customers, resolving difficult issues Please refer to the attached job description to find out more What s in it for you? We recognise that people are at the heart of our business and that success is dependant on enthusiastic and committed colleagues. We make sure they feel supported and encourage a culture of opportunity and learning to enable colleagues to fulfil their potential and make a real difference to people s lives every day. In return, we reward our staff for their dedication by offering competitive salaries and an excellent discretionary range of employee benefits some of which include: 26 days annual leave entitlement per annum plus bank holidays (pro rated for part time roles). With the possibility for colleagues to buy or sell a maximum of 35 hours in annual leave year subject to certain conditions Flexible schedule & hybrid working, subject to business need and agreement with your manager. Admittedly some of our roles do require more structured working patterns than others Performance related pay - We want to recognise exceptional performance and you can earn up to 10% on top of your base salary for achieving corporate and individual targets, and completion of all essential compliance tasks. We hold an annual awards event which celebrates colleagues success and achievements. In addition, we operate an annual bonus payment scheme based on monthly votes made by colleagues Access to the Simply Health Cash plan scheme for discounted optical, dental and health care bills Perkbox Rewards Big discounts on high Street shops, cinemas, airport parking and hotels, savings with Apple, free coffee at Caffe Nero each month, download a free film each month and more Health and Wellbeing initiatives such as fitness classes, walking clubs, meditation sessions and more Travel to work perks such as Bike2Work Scheme, allowing you to purchase a bike under salary sacrifice & 0% Season ticket loans for bus and train tickets Upon successful to completion of your probationary period, we offer our colleagues an interest free loan of up to 5,000 to assist with general living costs & much more Check out our handy benefits flyer to see what else we can offer you Do you care about the same things we do? We have three values we work by. When we meet, we ll need you to show us how they are important to you too. We always do the right thing: We offer the best quality service that we can. We re there when you need us: We listen and take action ensuring we deliver on our promises. We never give up: We are courageous in our pursuit of growth to provide more quality affordable homes. Our EDI Policy: At PA Housing, communities are at the heart of everything we do. We know how important it is to be representative of our customers and the communities we serve, and we have always committed to creating an inclusive approach to our recruitment process to ensure that we are hiring from a diverse talent pool of people. We're an Equal Opportunity employer and encourage applications from any individual who has the relevant skills and experience for the role, inclusive of any protected characteristics such as gender identity, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation and age. At PA Housing, we pride ourselves in being a disability confident employer and support our applicants with any additional adjustments they may require during their application process. We take a flexible approach to working, and support part-time hours, job shares, where possible and provide a salary sacrifice option for childcare vouchers. As part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, actively hiring women into this role is one our objectives to increase and promote diversity at PA Housing. If you have the relevant skills and experience for the role, please apply on our recruitment portal via our company website. Equality, diversity and inclusion | PA Housing Disclosure and Barring Service: This role of requires the successful candidate to complete a basic DBS check. A basic DBS check will show any unspent convictions. So why do we need to know this information? This role will be required to visit / support PA Housing residents in their own homes on a regular basis. Therefore we have a duty to our residents to ensure that we have taken precautions regarding who will be visiting them and representing PA Housing. Having unspent convictions will not necessarily preclude you from being recruited into the role; if you are potentially the successful candidate, we will complete a risk assessment with you to understand the circumstances around your conviction, how relevant they are to the post you have applied for and what remedial action, if any, have you have taken since your conviction. Suitable references will also need to be obtained prior to commencement of employment. So who are we? PA Housing is an award winning provider of affordable, quality homes, but our business is about more than property it s about people. We aim to put our residents at the centre of everything we do and offer first class services to all. Our business is built around decades of experience in the social housing sector across the Midlands, London, Home Counties and the South East. We hold a stock of more than 24,000 homes and employ 600 plus staff to provide a high standard of service to our householders. Our success and our plans for the future would not be possible without our dedicated team of staff members. Every one of our employees help to make a difference to the lives of our residents and other local people, and we look after our team members well. As a Disability Confident and Equal Opportunities Employer, PA Housing welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates including those from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and disabled candidates. We re happy to consider flexible working options for all our roles, and we ll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance. AGENCIES: We know where you are if we need your support so please do not contact us. To apply for this role please click on the apply button or for any enquiries please email recruitmentpahousing.co.uk