Although the
program includes many features to maintain records of finances,
we have found it better in practice to keep separate records using
an independent software package. There are many reasons for this.
Firstly, we prefer to reconcile the amounts paid and received every
month with the Bank statement for the particular property. Confusion
can arise where, for example, a maintenance payment is made in several
odd amounts. Secondly, the person who is keeping the records in
Manprops may not be the same person who has access to the Bank statements,
cheque book, paying in book etc.
In addition to the above, we have found
it useful to have an additional check on the income and expenditure
which can be cross referenced with Manprops data. Whilst the bank
statement will only record the actual amounts paid and received,
Manprops will allocate the income and expenditure to the correct
property and make the appropriate adjustments when preparing a demand
etc.
Summary screen
This is the opening screen and will show brief tenancy contact details,
the name and telephone number of the freeholder, insurance details
and similar information about each building. You can access full
details by clicking the relevant button on the main screen
Tenancies
This screen shows full details of each leaseholder, including contact
information and a summary of the lease terms, ground rent increases
etc. There is a button on this screen which enables you to print
out all or any of the tenancy details. We find it useful to print
all the details for a particular block and attach it to the main
file for quick reference. It can also form the basis of a mail merge
document for letters which are sent to all.
A further button on this screen enables you to
print out a list of action dates e.g. when the ground rent and maintenance
are due.
Insurance
Full details of any insurance policy for the building are recorded
on this screen. A button allows you to print out a summary of the
insurance details for a particular property. There is also a link
to another screen which enables you to view all renewal dates for
the property.
Property details
Here you can record information about the building. This will include
the fee basis, when management began, key numbers etc.
Client
Full details of the client/freeholder can be recorded, including
contact details and any comments.
Diary
It is useful to record day to day activities relating to each property.
This can be a useful check on particular incidents, regular inspections
etc. In practice, we cut and paste the contents of a file note to
the relevant property. It is not long before you have a good source
of information about what has taken place over a period of time.
A button on screen allows you to print out all
activity relating to a property in date order. There is a further
button which will take you to a screen which summarises activity.
Service charges
This section can prove very useful. The screen displays a list of
the anticipated expenditure for the property and the total for the
year. The proportion of maintenance payable by each flat is also
displayed on the screen for reference.
It is a simple matter to change the figures for
each item based on actual or anticipated expenditure. This can be
used to make a projection to see the effect of varying the expenditure,
increasing the reserve provision etc. More frequently, however,
it will be used to input the anticipated budget for the forthcoming
year to assess the maintenance charge that should be demanded. The
budget can be printed from this screen and sent with an appropriate
letter to the leaseholders.
Expenditure
You can keep a record of expenditure for each property. A
drop down list enables you to group the items by category which
makes it easier to summarise. There are report options with a filter
which will present all the items of expenditure for a particular
property or of a certain type etc. arranged in date order.
Reports
The program includes a large number of pre-configured reports
which give you a ready presentation of a variety of information
which can be displayed on screen or printed.
File maintenance
From time to time, data can get corrupted. Manprops includes
a large number of linked files and, if one is not working properly,
the program may not work properly. Whilst the corruption of data
is a natural consequence of a complex database, Manprops incorporates
a method of repairing any file by the simple click of a button.
The process is know as re-organization and is readily available
from a special maintenance screen within the program
Summary of income and expenditure
You can display income and expenditure for a particular property
on screen at the same time. It is possible to scroll through records
of either. This provides an easy way to check individual items.
Edit
If you need access to individual files, there is the facility
to edit any information that has been entered. This allows you to
change any details which cannot be accessed from within the usual
screens of the program
Contracts
Most blocks of flats will have regular contracts for cleaning
the public ways, lift maintenance and similar matters. You can record
all details of regular contracts for easy reference.
Instructions to builders
It is often useful to keep a record of instructions given
to builders. This will include the date, nature of work, name and
contact details of the builder etc. It is then a simple matter to
produce a report to the screen or the printer based on the criteria
selected e.g. property address, date range etc.
Account summary
Details of income and expenditure for any property are displayed
together on one screen. Either can be independently scrolled to
view details. A button allows you to automatically apply a filter
to show only those items of income (maintenance, ground rent etc.)
which are outstanding.
Account and payment maintenance
This is probably the most useful and time saving part of
the program With one click on a button you can carry out many important
tasks including:
· Print a demand for maintenance or ground
rent. The application for payment will automatically include details
of arrears and state the name of the freeholder, the tenant's reference,
total due, statutory notices etc.
· Print a receipt for payments. The formal
receipt will include all the relevant information as above.
· Print to screen or printer a list of
maintenance or ground rent arrears for a particular property, tenancy
or group
· Print a list of payments made in respect
of a particular property or tenancy
· Enter details of a new payment due ready
for printing the application.
The above and many similar features make it a
simple matter to deal with regular payments and keep track of who
is in arrears etc. This saves a great deal of time as it avoids
the need to type demands individually and automatically calculates
arrears
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