Collections Specialist

Collections Specialist

Fairstead is a purpose-driven real estate firm dedicated to building affordable communities across the country. Headquartered in New York, with offices in Colorado, Florida, and Washington DC, Fairstead owns and manages a portfolio of more than 30,000 apartments, including pipeline, across 28 states. As an integrated owner, operator, and innovator, Fairstead brings development, construction, and property management under one unified platform to deliver high-quality affordable housing that serves our residents at scale.

At Fairstead, we believe affordable housing should be thoughtfully designed, professionally managed, and responsibly operated. We seek to create and preserve housing that serves residents while delivering long-term value to communities, partners, and stakeholders.

Fairstead challenges industry norms through our tech-forward, entrepreneurial approach to affordable housing. In addition to core real estate capabilities, we operate innovative service lines designed to improve resident outcomes, strengthen communities, and drive operational efficiency. We embrace digital transformation, data-driven decision-making, and emerging technologies, including AI, to build scalable systems that support sustainable growth, grounded in a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, partnership, dedication, and integrity.

Responsible for all aspects of rent collection & landlord/tenant relations. Monitors resident ledgers, delinquency reports, uncollectible rent, and uncollectible other income reports. Provides coaching to site team members for rent collection techniques, resident communication, and reporting. Works directly with Financial Managers to create and implement rent collection programs aimed at meeting and exceeding rent collection and uncollectible rent/uncollectible other income goals. Acts as a liaison between landlord and outside legal counsels. Assist with filing and following up on all legal matters (evictions, non-compliance, etc.)

Responsibilities:

• Issue letters and call residents re: arrears before referring to LLT Counsel.
• Respond to resident inquiries re: case status and ledger matters.
• Liaise with Accounting Staff re: ledger matters.
• Analyze resident ledgers for accuracy and suggest and adjust as needed.
• Research and resolve payment discrepancies/resident's queries as needed.
• Track and enforce payment plans and consents.
• Responsible for overseeing the preparation and delivery of resident communication to encourage timely payment of charges due and facilitate the collection of delinquent accounts.
• Establish, oversee, and participate in the implementation of a "new resident" orientation program for all assigned properties, with the objective of setting clear expectations regarding the lease requirements, as they relate to payment of rent.
• Oversee and participate in resident meetings to review account balances, rent court status, delinquency history, and any topics related to their ability to meet the financial obligations of their lease agreement.
• Monitors Delinquency Memos as a tool to oversee collection process on multiple sites and enters memos when directly acting on a specific resident account.
• Responsible for the timely filing of failure to pay rent complaint and warrant of restitution with the court and scheduling the eviction with Sheriff or Constable's office.
• Ensure landlord tenant cases are moving forward with court timeline.
• Confirm with Management cases to move forward with law firms for nonpayment cases/holdover.
• Work with CM to gather documentation to commence nonpayment and holdover cases.
• Ensure all affidavits are executed by the appropriate parties and sent to outside counsel.
• Review monthly attorney bills for any discrepancies, account review and validation of charges.
• Upload court stipulations and update tenant record/files on Yardi.
• Update court disposition on Yardi with any relevant court dates.
• Track warrants and evictions and update tenant record/files on Yardi.
• Gather and provide all necessary documents for DHCR (Division of Housing and Community Renewal) complaints/cases required by outside counsel.
• Update shared DHCR files, court documents and correspondence to Yardi.
• Maintain accurate reports of DHCR cases.
• Update reporting on legal cases in Yardi.
• Maintain monthly report on all outstanding severed rents and fees.
• Run monthly arrears reports for new rent demands.
• Update tenant's status on Yardi.
• Prepare other reports as needed.
• Update CM with repair requests and access dates required by court stipulations.
• Send out initial notices for nonpayment (5-day notices), as needed.
• Assist CMs and ACMs with standard notices for lease violations.
• Prepare payment agreements.
• Prepare riders and early termination agreements with appropriate review by counsel.
• Prepare concession agreements with appropriate review by counsel and guidance from CM, AM.
• Prepare surrender agreements for move out inspections.
• Prepare other agreements, correspondence as needed.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Benefits:

• Generous employer contribution for Medical Insurance through Meritain Health.
• Employer Paid Vision Plans.
• Company Matched 401(k) Retirement Plan: 100% of the first 3%; 50% of the next 2%.
• 12+ paid Holidays.
• 15 days of PTO.
• 7 Sick days.
• Employer Paid Life Insurance.
• Flexible Spending Account.
• Nationwide Pet Insurance.
• Disability Insurance.
• Laser Correction Discount.
• Employee Discounts on appliances, apparel, and more.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in legal administration.
• Knowledge of the NYC residential market.
• Knowledge of NYC landlord laws.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Great Customer Service skills
• Able to learn and work with property management applications
• Quick learner and great attitude.
• Able to effectively present information and respond to questions from management, vendors, and associates.
• Adhere to tight deadlines and quick turnaround for deliverables.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic environment where adaptability is imperative.
• Strong written and oral skills.
• Accurate with a strong attention to detail.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.

Exact compensation may vary based on skills, experience, and location.

Salary Range

$75,000 - $85,000 USD

Diversity in backgrounds and experiences is key to Fairstead's success. Being an equal opportunity employer is a central tenet of our philosophy that shapes who we are and the communities we serve. Our goal is to ensure competitive total compensation that is commensurate with experience, location, and other market benchmarks.