In Asia-Pacific and Europe, the terms "Arrears" and "Tenants" are prevalent. However, in North America, these are typically known as "Delinquency" and "Leases." Also, the concept of a "Trust Accounting" in Asia-Pacific equates to a "Client Accounting" in Europe. It's important to mention that the Client/Trust Accounting functionality does not apply to customers in North America. For further details on terminology differences, please reference our Glossary of Regional Terminology.
This guide aims to provide straightforward instructions on how to handle rebates, discounts and rent incentives. Learn to correctly apply negative line items to rent or outgoings templates and manage future rent changes without disrupting your accounts. Whether you're offering short-term discounts or handling long-term lease arrangements with multiple incentives, these steps will enable you to maintain accurate financial records.
Applying Negative Line Items to Rent or Outgoings Templates
When you need to reduce charges for a lease/tenant, you can add a negative line item to the rent or outgoings templates. This will appear as a reduction on the invoice, providing clear visibility to the lease/tenant. However, ensure that the final total of the Net Rent does not fall to $0 or below. If you are utilizing Client/Trust Accounting systems, remember that negative line items are only permissible when every line on the template or invoice uses the same ledger.
Scheduling Rent Changes with Rent Reviews
Scheduling reminders for rent changes is crucial. It's recommended to leverage Rent Reviews to set these reminders and introduce new templates closer to the date of change to keep the rent scheduling in order. Always make sure new rent templates fall within the same billing cycle, such as the 1st of the month, to maintain consistency.
Future Rent Templates and Outgoings Adjustments
The Rent and Outgoings section provides an option to add New Rent templates for accommodating short-term changes, such as a 12-month discount period. Be mindful of other changes, like budget adjustments, which might occur within this timeframe. To avoid any override of changes by new templates, it's advisable to use Rent Reviews instead.
Handling Fees with Negative Line Items
For Client/Trust Accounting customers, it's important to consider how fees will be affected by invoices incorporating negative line items. The system's behaviour will differ based on the income code used for the discount and the fee rule in place:
- If the fee rule is based on Money in/out of an Account, fees are calculated for each line where the Account matches the fee rule, which may result in a negative entry for the discounted amount.
- If a different income Account is used for the discount and is not included in the fee rule, no fee will be raised for that line item.
- For a fee rule based on Rent Receipted, the fee is calculated against the invoice's total value, including negative line items, and is not dependent on the accounts used.
Applying a Credit Note for One-Time Charge Reductions
For one-time reductions in charges, raising and applying a credit note might be a more convenient approach. This simplifies the reduction process without the need to manipulate rent templates or schedule future rent changes.
By following these guidelines, you can effectively manage the financial aspects of the charge reductions related to rebates, discounts, and rent incentives in your Client/Trust Accounting system, and ensure a smoother and more accurate accounting process.