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We were delighted to take an order for o6ix last week from an engineering company.  This order is the latest in a run of orders from organisations who have found their incumbent property management system not to be up to the task.  In fact we receive quite a large number of enquiries of this kind and our largest order in 2009 was also from a well known property management company whose supplier simply could not make their system work correctly. 

And as it is very rare indeed for us to lose a customer, with several organisations having been with us for over thirty years, we must be doing something right.

As a company that is so focussed on its customer service I was most interested at the customer service that I (did not) receive from a mobile phone company last night.  It is particularly relevant as we are currently looking at every aspect of the business to ensure that all that we deliver  is of the highest quality that it can be.

Sadly, the service provider should probably remain nameless, though I do have a big urge to name and shame the guilty.  Suffice to say that they are one of the largest having just acquired another large mobile phone supplier.

The short story is that I bought a new pay-as-you-go mobile for my daughter for her birthday.  Supposedly the phone comes with 6 months free internet if you buy the phone with £10 of credit, though they failed to mention that this was not automatic.  There were not apparent instructions as to how to get the internet and in the meantime we got charged for a day’s usage.  So, setting up an account within their web site ensued, then a long search looking for information, then on the phone to them going through lots and lots of completely irrelevant recorded messages, never to speak to a person.  Eventually my daughter decided that there was a text with instructions on her phone all along but even then when we sent a text that apparently activated the free internet no confirmation was received.  I am still not sure whether it is working.

So, brand new mobile and 14 hours after receiving this really impressive new toy, am I happy?  A rhetorical question of course.  When I next buy a mobile will it be from the same provider?  Probably not.  A little lesson there I think.

We have just been advised of the following TRAMPS vacancies by Acme Appointments.

Please contact Acme on 020 7034 2950 or via the information below.

TEMPORARY PROPERTY ACCOUNTANT – Ref. TR14371

TRAMPS experience essential

WEST END £12-15 per hour

An experienced property accountant, with good working knowledge of the TRAMPS PM&A system is urgently required to join a Property Management Company based near Victoria.

Being familiar with all aspects of service charges, as well as the full remit of the client accounting function, you will be responsible for a large portfolio. Working within a busy team, you will be managing the accuracy of reporting and accounting client and tenant funds.

Duties include:

* All aspects of the service charge function

* Bank reconciliations

* Utility invoices

* Year end account preparation and reporting

* Expenditure Statements

* Ground rent statements

* Dealing with all queries from clients, accountants, suppliers and leaseholders

* attend internal/external meetings

PROPERTY CLIENT / SERVICE CHARGE ACCOUNTANT- Ref. TR14370

TRAMPS experience required

WEST END £28,000 - £32,000

A great opportunity for an experienced residential property client accountant, who is fully familiar with the TRAMPS PM&A system, to join the finance team of a leading UK Residential Property Management Company.

As an organised and conscientious client accountant, familiar with all aspects of service charges, you will be responsible for the client accounts for a designated portfolio. You will also be working as part of a team managing the accurate accounting of client and tenant funds.

Duties include:

- Input service charge budgets, raise charges and demands ready for sending to leaseholders

- Prepare service charge year-end accounts

- Quarterly / monthly income and expenditure statements

- Quarterly Ground Rent

- Assist with weekly payment run

- Ad-hoc duties as required

To apply for any of these roles please email: trace@acme-appointments.co.uk

To view other vacancies, visit our website www.acme-appointments.co.uk

Recently announced TRAMPS vacancies from Acme Appointments.  Acme are contactable on 020 7034 2950

RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTANT – Ref. TR14252

Tramps experience preferred

WEST END £30-40,000 pa

An experienced residential property accountant, with knowledge of the Tramps system is urgently required to join a leading UK Property Management Company. Being familiar with all aspects of service charges, as well as the full remit of the client accounting function, you will be responsible for a large portfolio. Working within a busy team, you will be in charge of managing the accuracy of reporting and accounting client and tenant funds.

Duties include:

• All aspects of the service charge function

• Bank reconciliations

• Utility invoices

• Year end account preparation and reporting

• Expenditure Statements

• Ground rent statements

• Dealing with all queries from clients, accountants, suppliers and leaseholders

• attend internal/external meetings

PROPERTY MANAGER – BLOCK MANAGER – Ref. TR14276

VARIOUS – Tramps experience welcome

WEST END £35,000 - £38,000

PROPERTY MANAGER - BLOCK MANAGER - £35,000 - £38,000… Our client is a leading block management company known for providing a high quality property management service to clients and for its friendly approach. Located in the heart of the West End they are now looking for an experienced property manager – block manager - to look after a portfolio of developments that are mostly located in the W1 and SW7 area covering the West End, South Kensington and Knightsbridge.

These positions carry an excellent salary package and other. Our client would prefer to meet experienced block managers with good property management experience as well as good communication skills.

Duties include:

• Responsibility for the day to day management of a portfolio of properties located mainly around South Kensington and ensuring that a high level of service is provided to clients.
• Carrying out site visits to ensure blocks are properly maintained

• Ensuring notes are properly recorded re inspections and health and safety matters

• Preparation of service charge budgets for all properties in your portfolio

• Monitoring expenditure against budget
• Managing all maintenance and repair work which

• Liaising with surveyors re major works projects

• Approving invoices for works requested
• Dealing with insurance matters
• Dealing with residents associations and representing at AGM’s
• Dealing with day to day correspondence in a timely manner
• Managing any on site staff – e.g. concierge/porters

PART TIME - PROPERTY MANAGER - BLOCK MANAGER - 3 DAYS PER WEEK - WEST END...Now recruiting for an experienced block manager who only wants to work 3x full days per week. You will be looking after a small manageable portfolio and also be responsible for coordinating health and safety assessments for the property portfolio. If you relevant block management experience and are looking for just 3 days per week then please apply by forwarding a copy of your cv

PROPERTY MANAGER - RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS - £35,000

A regular block manager is required for our client, an established property company in the heart of the West End. They are looking for someone who is used to dealing with a mix of small and medium size blocks, service charges, site visits etc. A nice, friendly office with an excellent group of people.

PROPERTY MANAGER – RESIDENTIAL BLOCKS – 1 YEAR CONTRACT

A lovely firm in Kensington where our client is looking for an experienced block manager to cover maternity leave. There is a preference for candidates who have worked with RMC’s in the smarter London postcodes. A very friendly office close to a few underground stations and near Victoria.

PROPERTY CLIENT ACCOUNTANT- Ref. TR14122

Tramps experience required

WEST END £30,000 - £32,000

An excellent opportunity has arisen for an experienced client accountant, fully familiar with the Tramps system (TBS or PM&A) to join a leading international Property Management Company. Responsible for carrying out the full remit of the accounting and service charge functions in relation to property portfolios of clients which are managed by the Management Division. You will have extensive property management accounting knowledge and working knowledge of service charge reconciliations, along with a clear understanding of double entry accounting principles and excellent numeric and communication skills

Main duties will include:

•Ensuring client service is delivered

•Contributing to system development

•Ensuring bottom line and quality systems are fully adhered to

•Assisting Team Leader with Management of assistant accounts

To apply for any of these roles please email: trace@acme-appointments.co.uk

To view other vacancies, visit our website www.acme-appointments.co.uk

Trace Solutions' Managing Director, Mick Flynn also sits on the board of OSCRE.

Below is an article written by him about OSCRE the organisation and the standard.

eBusiness is defined as the use of information and communication technologies in support of all activities of the business and as usual, the property sector sadly lags behind other industries. The last two years have hardly been enjoyable but if it has taught us anything, it is that we all need to run our businesses leaner and meaner and better use technology to bring about efficiencies and cut costs.

VHS and Betamax were both video tape systems that held the same data but in incompatible formats. Remind you of anything? Yes, property data held in different software suppliers’ systems.

Over  time, suppliers have developed modules that allow the exchange of data via a common medium, Excel but when you bring data in, you have to go through a manual transformation exercise e.g. my code for English Quarter Days is ‘EQD’ but you used Usual Quarter Days ‘UQD’. Human intervention is required to iron out all of these inconsistencies. Inevitably this increases the scope for errors, additional cost and time.

What happens when an external party needs your data for some reason? Maybe it’s a transfer of management, sale, purchase or valuation. Wouldn’t it be great if all software systems used data that was held in a common format that they could understand without the need for human translation?

This is what brought about the formation of an organisation that became known as PISCES which transformed into a global data standards body earlier this year and is now known as OSCRE.

OSCRE is a not for profits organisation that exists to help the property sector and is reliant on annual membership fees to develop and maintain these data standards. OSCRE operates in the investment, corporate real estate and home buying sectors. It provides a facility and framework for its members to decide how to address industry data exchange problems.

From a request that originated from our user group, Trace drove the creation of a work group to define a standard for the exchange of property management data and this became known as PIE (Portfolio Information Exchange). After much input from industry experts, a standard was agreed, published and Trace participated in a pilot development to prove that data could be exchanged efficiently between disparate systems. We have gone on to convert this pilot into ‘industrial strength’ software. Having the ability to import and export data in a recognised data standard format gives Trace and its clients many advantages.

OSCRE has facilitated the creation of an Investor Forum which is supported by the likes of Legal and General and ING with a view to drive through industry adoption of this standard.

One day, all data will be exchanged this way. The IT industry has matured over its relatively short life and we now think it is normal that different suppliers’ hardware and operating systems can communicate with each other. Standardising data is the missing piece of the IT puzzle.

I sit on the OSCRE board and am a fervent supporter of what OSCRE exists for. We need you to adopt this technology and OSCRE needs your support too. You can find out about OSCRE at www.oscre.org .

The Trace bi-monthly newsletter goes out later today by e-mail.  If you don't receive it by lunch time tomorrow, check it hasn't been caught by your spam filter.  If it's not there, contact your Account Manager to esnure that your e-mail address is on the mailing list.

I wonder how MIPIM will feel this year?  It's notorious for its lavish parties and I suspect the novelty of them may be wearing off a bit - and that's ignoring the fact that we are in recession.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/construction_and_property/article7062263.ece

Ref: 57309

Salary: £34,000 - £38,000 pa

Location: West End of London

"My client is a London Estate Agent focusing on Residential Properties in and around the city. They are a very well established business with over 150 Real Estate Agents throughout London.

The company is currently recruiting for a Client / Service Charge Accountant for the London based headquarters. To be considered for the role you will need to have had experience, ideally working with a residential portfolio, of inputting service charge budgets, preparing service charge year end accounts including reconciliation and trial balance. Furthermore to be shortlisted for the role you will also have had exposure to producing monthly and quarterly income and expenditure statements. If you have knowledge of the Tramps system then it will differentiate you from other candidates that apply to the position as it is the system the business use.

The package offered by my client is very competitive including Private Heathcare, life insurance and eligibility to join the company pension scheme after two years service."

For more information contact Witan Jardine.  http://www.ambition.co.uk/job/29350-client-accountant

This one from Witan Jardine.

Ref: 57952

Salary: £21,000 - £23,000 pa

Location: West End of London

"My client is a leading global Real Estate Advisory business offering a diverse range of services across Acquisition and Disposals, Property Management, Fund Management, Corporate restructuring and many more.

The business is currently recruiting for an Accounts Payable Clerk to join the team as a result of a recent promotion within the finance function. To apply for the role you will have had at least six months experience within the Property sector and ideally an understanding of the Tramps system. You will be responsible for the day to day running of a portfolio of suppliers, scanning and processing invoices, supplier reconciliations, dealing with supplier queries and liaising with internal customers.

To be shortlisted for this vacancy you will have a minimum of six months experience within Accounts Payable within a Property Management Company, Investment / Development business or Real Estate Fund Environment."

http://www.ambition.co.uk/job/29351-accounts-payable-clerk

Apologies, the e-mail address for Acme should be tramps@acme-appointments.co.uk  (not trace).