Service Charge Specialist

Title: Service Charge Specialist

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract up to 12 Months

Persona: Agile/hybrid working- office based 20-40% (3-4 days working from home)

Office locations: West Ham Lane in Stratford, London

Salary: £40,649 per annum

Closing date for completed applications: 13th August 2025 at 11.59pm

Benefits include: Excellent pension plan (up to 6% double contribution), 28 days Annual Leave rising to 31 days with length of service + Bank Holidays, Westfield Health Cash Plan, non-contributory life assurance, up to 21 hours volunteering paid days, lifestyle benefits, Employee Assistance Programme and many more…

Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the advertisement and interview earlier than stated.

Role Profile.docx

Do you consider yourself a proactive problem solver with a knack for financial accuracy and a passion for delivering exceptional customer service?

If so, L&Q has an exciting and rewarding opportunity for you to join our Service Charge team as a Service Charge Specialist.

About the Role:

Join our dynamic Service Charge team and make a tangible impact on the lives of thousands of residents. As a Service Charge Specialist, you'll play a pivotal role in ensuring fair and accurate service charges for around 80,000 homes. You will manage a portfolio of approximately 8,000 homes, working closely with local neighbourhood teams to address any customer queries.

Your Impact in the Role:

• Maximize Recovery: Optimize the recovery of service charge expenditures for approximately 12,000 units, ensuring accurate calculations and timely reconciliations to reduce deficits and meet deadlines.
• Service Charge Expertise: Calculate and apportion service charges accurately, conducting regular expenditure analyses and addressing risks that could impact cost recovery.
• Resident Query Resolution: Take ownership of resident queries and complaints, delivering clear communication and maintaining L&Q’s legal position in complex scenarios within defined service-level targets.
• Legal and Compliance Focus: Represent L&Q in First-Tier Tribunal cases, manage S20b notices, and ensure compliance with sections 18-30 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, alongside other relevant legislation.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement: Work collaboratively with internal teams, external auditors, and stakeholders to manage litigation, resolve risks, and ensure transparent service charge accounting.
• Data and Risk Management: Maintain accurate records in service charge systems, proactively identifying and addressing risks while producing clear, concise reports for stakeholders.

What You'll Bring:

• Legislative and Financial Knowledge: In-depth understanding of service charge laws, including sections 18-30 of the Landlord and Tenant Act, and a solid grasp of income/expenditure principles.
• Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to assess risks, handle unforeseen costs, and make informed decisions in challenging situations.
• Customer Service Excellence: Demonstrated ability to deliver exceptional service while managing complaints and queries professionally.
• Conflict Resolution Expertise: Experience in resolving resident complaints, attending court appearances, and adapting communication styles for diverse audiences.
• Organizational Skills: Proven capability to prioritize tasks, manage a high-volume portfolio, and meet deadlines independently.
• Communication and Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to effectively manage stakeholder relationships, confidently represent L&Q at tribunals and deliver clear messaging in resident meetings.
• Proactive and Detail-Oriented Approach: Adept at managing service charge systems, producing detailed reports, and working collaboratively to achieve organizational goals.

About L&Q:

We’re one of the UK’s leading housing associations and developers. We were founded on a simple belief: high quality housing is vital for people’s health, happiness and security. Everyone deserves a quality home that gives them the chance to live a better life.

250,000 people call our properties ‘home’, and we’re proud to serve diverse communities across London, the South East and North West of England.

At L&Q, people are at the heart of our business and our success depends on employing the best people and getting the best from them. The foundation of everything that we are is built on our corporate values and behavioural framework, which outlines our core expectations and should be demonstrated at all times, and all levels, when representing L&Q.

L&Q strongly believe a diverse and inclusive workforce is important, and inclusion is part of our core values and everyday working practices. We make hiring decisions based on your experiences, skills and merits and we are recognised externally for our commitment to inclusion. We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident (Committed) employer and have signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge to demonstrate our commitment to end mental health discrimination in the workplace. Click here to read more.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage during this process, including application stage, please email [email protected]

At L&Q, sustainability is at the heart of what we do. We recognise the responsibility we hold as one of the UK’s largest housing associations.

Click here to find out more about L&Q and why you should join us!