Property Tax Specialist

About the role

Fairstone Bank and its family of brands are united in delivering innovative, accessible and reliable financial solutions that enable Canadians to reach their goals. Over the years, our brand family has grown. In 2024, Home Trust Company, Home Bank and Oaken Financial became part of the Fairstone Bank family of brands, alongside Fairstone, Eden Park and Fig. Together, we are the leading alternative lending bank in Canada. We have the collective experience and expertise to better serve our customers and foster our partners' growth. With a diverse suite of products-residential and commercial mortgages, consumer deposits and GICs, credit cards, retail and automobile financing, personal loans and digital lending-we offer financial solutions tailored to all Canadians, including newcomers, small-business owners, smart investors and savvy consumers. Backed by nearly a century of lending experience through its legacy companies, Fairstone Bank and its brand family are proud to be Canada's leading alternative lending bank. Join Home Trust as a Property Tax Specialist and be part of our talented and growing team! The Property Tax Specialist will be responsible for responding to all property tax related inquires that are received from the Contact Centre and other internal teams such as Residential Underwriting and Mortgage Renewals. The Property Tax Specialist will also process and arrange payments with appropriate municipalities and ensure mortgage customers' tax account are maintained in good standing. The Property Tax Specialist will communicate essential payment details to customers, adhering to company policies and customer service standards.

Responsibilities

• Property Tax Administration
• Responsible for the maintenance of mortgage customer tax accounts and the payment of property taxes within due dates for Home Trust's clients across Canada
• Perform monthly review of mortgage accounts with a high deficit or a surplus in the tax account and action accordingly.
• Perform yearly portfolio review of mortgage payment tax component and adjust the amount to ensure tax accounts are not in a deficit or a surplus following tax remittance.
• Responsible for dealing with inquiries regarding arrears from municipality or client.
• Processing any supplementary tax bills received from a client due to a reassessment of the property.
• Setup tax roll number and municipality BP information in the System for newly funded loans.
• Ensure that all notices of a tax sale are dealt within the period allotted to avoid the completion of a tax sale.
• Processing client inquiries that may result in a refunds of tax account or granting the client approval to pay own taxes.
• Order tax certificates from municipalities as needed or when requested by internal business partners.
• Archive electronic copies of all documents related to the payment of property taxes and correspondence sent to clients to comply with record retention and audit requirements
• Ensure that all relevant data regarding clients' tax accounts are entered correctly in System (tax roll number, municipality, grant eligibility)
• Collaborate with colleagues to achieve team goals.
• Complete additional tasks or projects assigned by management when necessary.
• Communication
• Communicate with clients on a regular basis regarding any changes to the tax portion of their mortgage payment.
• Communicate with solicitors/clients regarding any tax arrears that were a result of non-payment at closing.
• Deal with escalated property tax related calls and e-mails from clients and internal business partners within 48 hours
• Inform municipal tax offices on a regular basis of any changes to our portfolio (addition of new loans, deletion of existing loans, account modifications)
• Risk Management and Compliance
• Act in accordance with Home Trust's core values, Code of Conduct and all internal policies and standards; engages in the highest standard of business conduct and ethics
• Understand the regulatory and compliance requirements applicable to one's scope of responsibility
• Incorporate regulatory & compliance requirements into existing business processes and activities
• Increases knowledge & understanding of regulations, laws and compliance within the scope of one's responsibility and overall, Company, from the time of hire to on-going annual training and development

Requirements

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in business or related discipline (University an asset)
• Additional relevant accreditation(s), certification(s) are strong assets: MTAP (Ontario Municipal Tax & Revenue Association)
• Minimum 2 years of experience in the property tax industry or with a municipality
• Solution-focused, takes initiative to work effectively within established guidelines
• Strong organizational, follow-up, time-management, analysis and attention to detail
• Strong interpersonal relationship building and listening skills
• Proven ability to work both independently and collabora

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