Income Officer
About the job
Salary: £30,024 - £32,597 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: Fixed Term/ Secondment
As an Income Officer at Luton Council, you will play a key role in maximising rental income, supporting tenancy sustainment, and delivering an excellent customer-focused housing service. You will proactively manage a patch of Council-owned and controlled properties, ensuring rent accounts are effectively administered, performance targets are met, and all policies and procedures are consistently applied.
In this dynamic role, you will use a range of communication methods—including phone calls, texts, written correspondence and home visits—to engage with tenants, resolve enquiries, and take timely action to prevent and reduce arrears. You will maintain accurate and up-to-date records, make appropriate referrals for specialist money and debt advice, and work closely with internal teams and partner agencies to ensure tenants receive the support they need.
You will be responsible for all aspects of arrears management, including preparing and serving legal notices, drafting court statements, attending hearings, and supporting the enforcement of court orders in conjunction with the Court Officer. You will take appropriate steps to prevent housing fraud and ensure that any safeguarding concerns are promptly escalated to the relevant services.
The role requires a strong working knowledge of housing law, best practice, and income management processes. You will provide detailed, accurate housing advice to tenants, colleagues, and partner organisations, while supporting and mentoring less experienced officers. You will also contribute to case conferences, prepare reports and briefings, and engage in cross-team collaboration to promote tenancy sustainability.
You will make full use of the Council’s IT systems to manage cases and identify opportunities to improve service delivery. You will participate in ongoing learning and development activities, support service improvements, test new systems, and contribute to the development of effective procedures for the rent collection service. Flexibility is essential, as you may be asked to cover duties for colleagues when required.
Working closely with residents, partners, and community groups, you will take part in local meetings, action days, and initiatives designed to improve resident engagement and problem-solve issues affecting communities. Your commitment to delivering high-quality, efficient and empathetic services will help secure sustainable tenancies and support the Council’s wider goals for housing services.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
You will bring substantial experience working within income management or a similar administrative environment, with a strong understanding of processes, systems, and best practice. Highly organised and detail-focused, you are confident managing complex administrative tasks, analysing financial information, and using performance data to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
A clear and effective communicator, you can engage politely and professionally with customers, colleagues, and external agencies. You are able to support residents in a calm, non-judgmental manner, while also representing the service at meetings and maintaining positive working relationships across a wide range of partners.
You are confident providing complex technical advice, offering practical, realistic solutions to routine and more challenging issues within your remit. Your strong numeracy skills enable you to handle financial calculations, interpret resource information, and analyse data with accuracy.
You can work both independently and collaboratively, using your initiative to prioritise a demanding workload and meet tight deadlines and performance targets. Your approach is rooted in a strong understanding of equality issues and a firm commitment to promoting equal opportunities in all aspects of Housing Services.
You will have thorough knowledge of housing legislation, regulations, and best practice, with particular expertise in rent arrears, income management, welfare reform, debt advice, and tenancy sustainment. Ideally, you are a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing or hold an equivalent qualification, or you bring significant relevant experience that demonstrates your capability.
This role requires flexibility and the ability to attend meetings or respond to emergencies outside normal office hours, including weekends where necessary. You will also need a full driving licence with business insurance and access to your own vehicle, or otherwise be able to travel across Luton and surrounding areas to meet service needs.
About us
Our ambitiousLuton 2040 Vision– that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £30,024 - £32,597 per year