Finance Manager - Rents & Service Charges

Finance Manager - Rents & Service Charges

Organisation: Housing Plus Group

Salary: £60,540 per annum

Location: Telford / Hybrid Working (minimum two days per week in the office)

Working Pattern: 36 hours per week

Closing Date: Friday 31 July 2026

Final Interviews: Tuesday 18 August 2026

This is an exciting time to join Housing Plus Group.

Following the merger of The Wrekin Housing Group and Housing Plus Group, the organisation has created a broader, strengthened group structure and is continuing to develop a modern, customer-focused and resilient Finance function.

Housing Plus Group is seeking to appoint a Finance Manager - Rents & Service Charges as part of a wider campaign to recruit six key roles into its Finance function.

This role is one of two Finance Manager appointments being recruited in phase one of the campaign and represents a significant opportunity to lead one of the most technically demanding and strategically important specialisms within the organisation's Finance function.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that rent setting, service charge management, customer communication, regulatory reporting, audit activity and cost recovery processes are accurate, compliant and transparent.

This is a role with both technical and leadership depth. It will suit an experienced finance professional who combines strong financial control with a detailed understanding of housing finance, customer impact, regulation, service charge methodologies and operational delivery.

About Housing Plus Group

Housing Plus Group is a major housing provider operating across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Following the merger of The Wrekin Housing Group and Housing Plus Group in January 2025, the new organisation became one of the largest social housing providers in the West Midlands, managing approximately 33,000 homes and maintaining a significant regional presence.

The organisation provides affordable homes, repairs and maintenance services, care and support services, community investment programmes and new housing developments.

Housing Plus Group's priorities include listening to customers, improving services, investing in existing homes, increasing the supply of social housing, supporting communities and creating opportunities for colleagues.

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Finance - Rents & Service Charges, the Finance Manager will provide technical leadership, financial control and strategic oversight across the Group's rent setting and service charge function.

The role will lead a specialist team responsible for ensuring the accurate calculation, setting and communication of rents, while overseeing the end-to-end service charge cycle including budgeting, billing, reconciliation, year-end certification, customer communication and regulatory compliance.

In addition to managing a specialist team, the successful candidate will act as a subject matter expert on rent setting, service charge legislation and regulatory requirements, working closely with operational, housing, ICT and development teams.

Key Areas of Responsibility Will Include:

• Supporting the annual rent setting process across the Group.
• Ensuring compliance with the Rent Standard and relevant housing legislation.
• Leading the end-to-end service charge cycle, including budgeting, billing, reconciliation and year-end statement production.
• Managing service charge compliance, reporting and governance requirements.
• Supporting regulatory reporting and external compliance obligations.
• Leading internal and external audit activity relating to rents and service charges.
• Acting as a principal point of contact for auditors and regulators where appropriate.
• Working closely with Housing, Customer Experience, Asset Management, ICT and Development teams.
• Improving service charge methodologies, cost allocation processes and recovery arrangements.
• Supporting customer communications relating to rents and service charges.
• Managing complaints, appeals, tribunal matters and complex customer enquiries.
• Driving continuous improvement across systems, processes, controls and data quality.
• Leading, developing and motivating a specialist team comprising Accountants, Assistant Accountants and Finance Assistants.
• Acting as a subject matter expert on rent policy, service charge legislation and regulatory best practice.

About You

We are looking for a highly capable finance leader with deep technical knowledge of rents and service charges who can combine specialist expertise with strong stakeholder management and leadership skills.

You Will Need To Demonstrate:

• A recognised professional accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA or CIMA, or significant equivalent experience within rents and service charges.
• Extensive experience working within rent setting and service charge management.
• A detailed understanding of the Rent Standard and broader social housing regulatory framework.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant service charge legislation and case law.
• Significant experience within social housing, property management or a similarly regulated environment.
• Experience leading and developing finance teams.
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication and influencing capabilities.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with large datasets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Experience identifying opportunities for continuous improvement and service enhancement.
• A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

How to Apply

To apply, please submit a comprehensive CV and a one-page supporting statement outlining your motivation for applying, how your experience aligns with the requirements of the role, and the value you would bring to Housing Plus Group.

For an informal and confidential discussion, please contact: John Lavictoire