Senior Property Accountant

Investigo are partnered with a London based Property Management business who are looking for a senior property accountant - salary circa £75k.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Ensure the timely production of certified service charge accounts.
• Provide up to date financial information to Property Directors and leaseholders.
• Meet regularly with the Property Director for your developments to develop scheme knowledge, and appraise on all financial matters affecting your schemes.
• For your developments, lead on entering annual budgets and raising of service charge demands to lessees, assisting in the collection of such service charges and other monies as may be payable under the lease, and in the reporting of arrears thereafter.
• Review ground rent demands raised on lessees, and in the collection of such ground rent and other monies as may be payable under the lease, and ensuring that ground rent returns are made to Freehold clients in an accurate and timely manner.

• To review, monitor and control all outgoings from the client bank accounts and to ensure that payments are properly authorized and paid where funds are available

• Ensure that all bank reconciliations for your developments are completed on at least a monthly basis.
• Preparation of annual service charge accounts in accordance with best practice and liaising with the auditors and ensuring final accounts are reconciled to the accounting records

• Preparation of interim service charge accounts as required
• Preparation of the apportionment of final expenditure between lessees (in accordance with the terms of the lease) compared to service charges demanded on account, showing the balancing charges or credits due to each lessee and the calculation of landlord voids.

• Prepare voids schedules and forecasts for freehold clients on a monthly or an ad - hoc basis. Undertaking financial reviews of new blocks as part of the on-board process

• Prepare monthly VAT reports and summaries for forward transmission to the group client accounts team.

• Posting any adjustments required, closing down year ends on the system and uploading balancing charges or credits to the lessees or landlords' ledger accounts.

• To ensure that accounting records are transparent and to manage any lessee or other requests to inspect the accounting records.

• Prepare weekly and monthly management summary reports as required to key stakeholders outside of the department.

• Ensure that monthly ground rent summaries for clients are accurate and prepared ontime and that payments can be supported by accurate records.

• Preparation of accurate reports (with accruals and prepayments) on actual vs budgeted expenditure at least quarterly, moving to monthly, explaining the accounts to property directors and other interested stakeholders.
• If required, liaison with the residents at the time of presenting new budgets, including presentations to any RA's.
• Attendance at RA meetings to present monthly/quarterly/year end accounts.
• Helping to manage all key external relationships for the department.
• Ensuring that the accounting systems in place are used to their full potential and that internal controls are robustly maintained
• Assist with the reviewing of accounting systems generally including on-site recording and handling of receipts.
• Ensuring any client/leaseholder enquiries are dealt with in a timely, helpful and professional manner.
• Preparing plans for budgeting cycles, ensuring timely delivery of activities. Report progress against plan on a weekly basis, highlighting any likelihood of missed deadlines.
• Monthly monitoring of all insurance activity affecting your development sites, ensuring monies are kept separate to service charge funds, where necessary.
• Assisting with the internal audit of client procedures and monies.
• Ensuring client money regulations are strictly adhered to and that robust controls are in place to ensure compliance with those regulations.
• Carrying internal audits of accounting procedures and systems including development procedures to ensure
• adequate controls are in place for service charge monies.

Requirements

• Ideally qualified ACA, ACCA or MAAT, or qualified by experience and actively working towards a professional qualification.
• Must have at least 5 years' experience of managing service charge accounting.
• Good experience of service charge reporting gained either in practice or in the finance department of a Residential Managing Agent
• Experience in managing junior accountants and with an interest in their development
• Advanced Excel skills
• Knowledge of PROPMAN is an advantage