Post Sales Agent Service.

Descriptions

Financial and insurance services. Database services. Administration services. Administrative services of agencies. Administrative housing services. The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government.The HCA is seeking to appoint a Post Sales Agent to undertake post sales administration services in order to manage a growing portfolio of equity-loan interests secured on homes across England.The HCA intend to appoint a single Post Sales Agent (PSA) to provide these services for to an initial 2 year contract term starting from, or close to, April 2014, with the option to extend for one or more further periods, up to a maximum of 3 further years at the HCA's discretion.The PSA will be required to deliver a range of post-sales administration and transaction services on behalf of the HCA acting as a virtual ‘one-stop shop', dealing with all post-sales enquiries from homeowners and house builders with a legal interest in homes funded via HCA equity loan products, and administrating post sales transactions including partial and full equity loan redemptions, and collecting loan repayments and fees.The Core Services to be delivered by the PSA include, but are not limited to:i) Post Sales enquiry handlingAct as a single point of advice and guidance for homeowners and house builders with a legal interest in homes funded via HCA equity loan products:— Operate a dedicated customer telephone helpline, Mon–Fri, 9:00 am - 17:00 pm;— Offer a dedicated customer enquiry email box;— Offer information and guidance to owners of homes funded by HCA equity loan products including those funded by legacy equity loan products, current or new products administered by HCA;- Resolve enquires by advising customers, directing them on to relevant transaction processes or signposting to partner services as relevant.ii) WebsiteOperate and maintain a national PSA website as a single point of post sales information for homeowners and house builders with a legal interest in homes funded by HCA equity loan products:— Operate a dedicated website under a HCA-owned domain and prescribed ‘Help to Buy' branding;— Provide up-to-date content on HCA equity loan products and post–sales services;— Provide on-line guidance, enquiry-handling and redemption application processing facilities;— Provide links to HCA and partner sites and other relevant services as directed by HCA.iii) Customer DatabaseMaintain a comprehensive and secure electronic database of homes funded via HCA equity loan products, the respective equity loan interests and fee collection data:— Process owner/ property records within 5 days of receiving an electronic return from the relevant Help to Buy Agent;— Provide accurate data collection, validation and reporting infrastructure;— Provide monthly monitoring reports to HCA on the equity loan portfolio, owners, locations, entitlements, fee collection, debt and other matters relevant to its interests;— Provide monthly updates of data from the PSA's database for uploading to HCAs own systems;— Process and reconcile reports between PSA and Help to Buy Agent data to resolve discrepancies and ensure data accuracy.iv) Loan Fee CollectionPromptly collect loan fees due from owners of homes funded via HCA equity loan products in accordance with the equity loan mortgage product terms:— Issue accurate annual fee statements;— Issue accurate and timely liability letters and fee demands after 12 months of sale and annually thereafter;— Administer monthly or annual collection of fees when they become payable (this varies by product - see MOI for further details);— Set up accurate monthly debit repayment arrangements with homeowners where applicable;— Issue monthly fee reports to HCA and house builders with an equity interest; (inc. reconciliation of cash received/ fees accrued);— Collect fees and accurately apportion receipts into HCA and house builder's accounts;— Issue arrears letters and undertake arrears chasing prescribed by HCA.v) Redemptions and Repayment CollectionAdminister all partial and full equity loan redemptions on homes funded via HCA equity loan products and collect repayments:— Issue instructions and documentation to owner/ solicitors 5 days after full or partial redemption request;— Confirm repayment and necessary modification to mortgages with owner's solicitor (subject to mortgage valuation);— Issue relevant legal forms to the homeowners solicitor subject to a solicitors undertaking to repay;— Provide accurate transaction processing and record keeping;— Collect repayments and accurately apportion receipts into HCA and house builder accounts;— Liaise with HCA and house builders to obtain sign-off of legal papers.vi Other Post Sales AdministrationPerform other defined transaction services and arrears collection on behalf of the HCA:— Administer subletting and home improvement consents, temporary charge postponements, change of name, lease extension and other prescribed items, chargeable to homeowners at fees prescribed by HCA;— Undertake additional arrears action required subject to agreement with HCA.vii Service AdministrationMaintain an effective service for HCA and stakeholders:— Provide regular monitoring returns to HCA including monthly updates of data from the PSA's database for uploading to HCA's own systems;— Respond to ad-hoc HCA information and data requests;— Maintain home owner and house builder and relationships;— Operate a formal managed complaints procedure;— Adhere to data protection requirements;— Adhere to all relevant consumer credit requirements in relation to the regulated aspects of the portfolio;— Work with the HCA's network of Help to Buy Agents to ensure data validity.The PSA will provide these services nationally to support administration of an equity loan portfolio secured on homes across England. The portfolio includes equity loan interests funded by legacy HCA equity loan products (including equity interests of HCA and of partner house builders) and those funded or to be funded via HCA's current equity loan product ‘Help to Buy – Equity Loan', or new similar products in the service period (including ‘Help to Buy- Equity Loan interests funded by HCA in London, under delegation from the Greater London Authority).The HCA's equity loan portfolio currently comprises equity loans secured on circa 32,000 homes and, further to launch of the Government's ‘Help to Buy: Equity Loan' product in 2013, is forecast to increase significantly up to an estimated 99,000 homes by 31.3.2016.Please refer to the MOI for further details.