Collections Officer

About the role

At Peabody, our aim is to improve the quality of life for our residents. As a Collections Officer, you’ll play a key role in helping us achieve this by maximising income collection, reducing rent arrears and supporting customers to sustain their tenancies.

This is a frontline role within our Income Collections team, with a strong focus on early intervention and customer engagement. You’ll be the first point of contact for customers in arrears, using data, insight and agreed policies to deliver an effective, legally compliant rent collection service while placing the customer at the heart of everything you do.

What you’ll do:

• Manage a caseload of customer rent accounts across general needs and supported housing tenures, proactively maximising income collection while supporting customers to meet their rent obligations.
• Monitor rent accounts on a weekly basis, taking timely and appropriate action to recover unpaid rent and other charges.
• Carry out proactive outbound calls and case management activity to meet clearly defined performance targets and prevent arrears escalation.
• Deliver an efficient, effective and legally compliant arrears service, with a strong focus on tenancy sustainment and early intervention.
• Provide clear advice and support to customers on debt prevention, welfare reform and benefits entitlement.
• Support customers to access Universal Credit and other housing-related benefits, working collaboratively with the DWP and Peabody’s Financial Inclusion team where appropriate.
• Signpost and refer customers to internal support services, including Financial Inclusion, Tenant and Family Sustainment and Employment teams, to provide holistic support.
• Manage the legal recovery process from start to finish, including preparing paperwork, making court applications, attending court and evictions where required.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of Peabody’s arrears escalation processes, policies and procedures, acting as a subject matter expert within the business.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders, adapting to changing legislation, business priorities and customer needs.
• Champion Peabody’s values and deliver a consistently high standard of customer service.

What you’ll bring:

• Experience managing rent arrears and income collection across a range of housing tenures.
• Strong knowledge of the arrear’s recovery process, welfare reform and housing-related benefits.
• Proven experience of delivering excellent customer service in a fast-paced, target-driven environment.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage a diverse caseload, prioritise effectively and meet deadlines.
• Well-developed questioning, listening, influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to support customers experiencing financial exclusion.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, supported by strong numeracy and IT capability.
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including engaging with vulnerable customers.
• Understanding of the importance of data quality and integrity, with the ability to use data to inform decision-making.
  

Why join us?

At Peabody, our values guide everything we do: Be Kind, Do the Right Thing, Love New Ideas, Celebrate Diversity, Keep Our Promises, and Pull Together. You’ll be part of a supportive and inclusive organisation that is focused on making a real difference to the lives of our customers and communities.

What we offer

• 30 days’ annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Two paid volunteering days per year
• Hybrid and flexible working arrangements
• Flexible benefits scheme, including family-friendly options and access to a discount portal
• 4x salary life assurance
• Up to 10% pension contribution

Please read before applying:

We reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Interviews will be held in person at our offices in Westminster Bridge Road on Tuesday 27th January 2026

To apply for the Collections Officer role, please click ‘Apply Now’ and submit your CV along with a brief statement explaining why you’re a great fit for the role.

If you have any questions, please contact victoria at victoria.wilson1@peabody.org.uk

Please note: Peabody does not offer sponsorship.