Service Charge Accounts Assistant

About the company

Adele Carr Recruitment are working with a fantastic business seeking a Service Charge Accounts Assistant to join its Asset Management Accounts Department.

Your tasks

The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the management of a portfolio of over 100 commercial service charges, working closely with Asset Managers and surveyors to ensure budgets, expenditure and year-end reconciliations are completed accurately and efficiently.

Key ResponsibilitiesBudget Preparation and Management*

• Support surveyors with the preparation and setting of service charge budgets.
• Calculate tenant caps based on RPI for the forthcoming year.
• Update budgets and interim on-account charges within the Re-Leased system.
• Update landlord contributions for vacant properties and capped units.
• Issue service charge budgets to tenants in advance of the relevant service charge period.

Expenditure Monitoring and Year-End Support

• Compare actual expenditure against budgets, identifying overspends and incorrectly allocated invoices ahead of year-end.
• Identify expenditure omitted from budgets, including the requirement for new expenditure codes.
• Submit final expenditure listings for review by external accountants.
• Support surveyors with year-end reviews.
• Process accruals, prepayments and journals as required.

Service Charge Reconciliations

• Complete the year-end process within Re-Leased, ensuring figures agree with the external accountants' accounts.
• Reconcile the service charge ledger, ensuring it balances to current-year income less expenditure.
• Prepare landlord summaries detailing VAT due to or from clients, including voids, loans, recoverable fees and forward-funded costs.
• Update tenant caps to ensure the correct amounts are recovered throughout the year.
• Raise balancing charges and credit notes, issuing these to tenants by email.

New Property Instructions

• Transfer financial data from previous managing agents or property owners when new properties are brought into management.
• Ensure relevant information is accurately transferred, including arrears, unpaid expenditure, accruals and prepayments.

Service Charge Handovers

• Prepare handover summaries detailing current-year financial information when properties are sold or transferred to a new managing agent.
• Coordinate the transfer of relevant funds to the new agent or property owner.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Asset Managers on all service charge matters relating to the managed property portfolio.
• Maintain accurate financial records and ensure service charge information is up to date.

Requirements

This is an excellent opportunity for an organised and detail-oriented finance professional with strong Excel skills and an interest in financial systems.

The successful candidate will ideally demonstrate

• Experience in an accounts or finance role, preferably involving service charges or property accounts.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• A keen interest in financial systems and the ability to work confidently with accounting software.
• Excellent attention to detail and a methodical approach to financial reconciliations.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
• Effective communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively with Asset Managers, surveyors and external accountants.
• A proactive approach to identifying discrepancies and resolving financial queries.

How to apply

If you have experience in finance or service charge accounting and are looking for your next opportunity, Adele Carr Recruitment would love to hear from you.