Debt & Benefit Advisor

About the job

Key information

Salary: £33,699– £36,363 depending on experience, plus generous mileage allowance

Hours: 37 hours per week

Holiday – 27 Days plus bank holidays

Location: Hybrid/Office Based – Bridgwater House

Closing date: 10 June 2026

What will I be doing?

This role works within a dedicated Income team to support new and existing customers to achieve and sustain an affordable, healthy and safe home. You’ll be working in partnership with colleagues and key stakeholders to enable tenancies to get off to the best start and prevent homelessness, by delivering effective, consistent and fair access to advice & guidance.

Reporting to the Rent Recovery Manager/Income Team Leader, you’ll be signposting to other specialist services where appropriate and preventing the accrual of debt by completing benefit checks to maximise income.

Key Responsibilities

• Support Rent Recovery/Income Team to reduce rent arrears and sustain tenancies.
• Support your team in the delivery of relevant performance indicators.
• Take all appropriate action to maximise income collection from rents, service and other charges.
• Take all appropriate action to mitigate the impact of Welfare Reform on tenants and the business in general. This includes delivering benefit advice, signposting tenants to money advice services and taking action in line with our procedures to maximise income collection.
• Where appropriate, arrange visits to complete benefit reviews or income & expenditure assessments with customers in their homes. This will require you to travel across Somerset to various locations.
• Able to interpret and apply complex benefit legislation to offer benefit checks to tenants with accuracy.
• ​Utilise grant schemes to support tenants in emergencies and with essential items of furniture, white goods and flooring.
• ​Ensure systems, processes and procedures are fully utilised to ensure income collection is maximised.
• ​Deliver a range of proactive services that respond to the needs and aspirations of customers that supports a rent payment culture, financial inclusion strategies and income maximisation.
• Take effective action that addresses performance or service quality failures, challenging decisions and taking ownership of outcomes.
• ​Work in partnership with a range of stakeholders i.e., internal departments and Somerset Council, to maximise performance, service quality and to support communities and customers.
• ​Work collaboratively with all other staff teams; specifically, the Housing and Independent Living Service teams, supporting them in their work, and provide cover and guidance as necessary.
• Adhere to good information security.
• ​Take responsibility for identifying training needs, updating knowledge of changes in legislation, best practice, and other developments.
• Embrace hybrid working according to the needs of the service and customer. This will include the need to work flexibly both remotely and from the office whilst ensuring compliance with health & safety and lone working policy.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

• Display and demonstrate behaviours that reflect our Values and put Customers First.
• Contribute and be proactive at 121s, team meetings and your Performance Development Review.
• Successfully meet agreed key performance indicators.
• Develop positive and productive working relationships both internally and externally with relevant colleagues and other stakeholders. Confidence in being able to manage own workload.
• Understanding of safeguarding policy and practice.
• Effective and confident communication with all levels of the organisation, colleagues, residents and stakeholders.
• Confident in dealing with challenging behaviours including supporting tenants with various complex vulnerabilities.

How will I evidence my success?

• Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills; both verbal and written.
• The ability to work collaboratively with other teams across the organisation.
• High level of initiative and the ability to innovate.
• A strong commitment to putting Customers First and a can-do attitude.
• High degree of problem-solving skills with a solution focused approach.
• The ability to network and develop strong partnership working.
• Experience of working in a social housing organisation within a similar function would be desirable.
• Have a comprehensive understanding of the benefit system including means-tested and non-means-tested benefits.

Apply on the Homes In Somerset website