The role
Are you ready to take the lead in managing private sector service charge accounts for a major London borough?
As a Private Service Charge Officer, you’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring financial integrity and legislative compliance across a growing portfolio with an annual budget exceeding £1.5 million. This is a dynamic and vital role within the Homeownership Services team, where your focus will be on analysing, auditing, and approving complex service charge demands received from private freeholders. You’ll be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, scrutinising lease and transfer agreements, and leading legal challenges where necessary, ensuring that charges are fair, justified, and in line with statutory requirements.
You’ll act as the council’s primary contact for all matters relating to private sector service charges, representing Southwark at court tribunals, resident forums, and consultations. A key part of your work will include coordinating with internal departments such as Housing Finance, Repairs and Maintenance, and Landlord Services to ensure consistent service delivery, budget alignment, and robust financial control. You’ll take ownership of statutory consultations, insurance validations, and block expenditure reconciliation, ensuring every action you take is recorded, accountable, and supports a transparent and reliable process for our residents.
This is a hands-on, highly visible position that requires attention to detail, the ability to interpret complex contractual agreements, and strong collaboration across council services. From preparing reports for senior committees and scrutinising building-level accounts to helping shape the future direction of private sector block management, your contributions will make a tangible impact on how services are delivered and how we engage with our leaseholders, shared owners, and wider communities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Manage and scrutinise private sector service charge accounts with an annual expenditure budget exceeding £1.5 million.
• Audit and analyse service charge demands, ensuring accuracy, legal compliance, and value for money.
• Lead on statutory consultations, insurance claims, and ensure compliance with leaseholder legislation.
• Prepare and present legal cases for court and tribunal hearings, acting as lead officer or witness.
• Interpret complex lease and transfer agreements, advising internal teams on contractual obligations.
• Collaborate with finance, housing, and maintenance teams to support budget setting and service delivery.
  What you’ll bring to the role

To thrive in this role, you’ll need a strong blend of technical knowledge, practical experience, and confidence in managing complex service charge processes in a fast-paced, customer-facing environment. The ideal candidate will have:

• In-depth understanding of service charge legislation, leases, and public sector finance
• Experience managing large residential homeowner portfolios in a mixed-tenure environment
• Strong grasp of key housing and landlord/tenant legislation, including recent reforms
• Proven ability to scrutinise and interpret lease and transfer agreements
• Confidence preparing and presenting legal cases at court or tribunal
• Skilled in financial management, budget setting, and service charge auditing
• Excellent communication and report-writing abilities, with attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, SAP, and other financial or housing systems

Why Southwark
Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with conservation areas, historic buildings, social enterprises and a young, diverse, and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals, and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark 2030 and Southwark Stands Together, underpins all that we do.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you’ll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition