Service Charge Accountant (SCMC01) Loughton, England
Service Charge Accountant
Who are we?
Founded in 1992, Galliard Homes is London’s largest privately owned property development and management group, overseeing residential, hospitality, mixed-use, and commercial projects across London, the Home Counties, and the Midlands.
Our portfolio includes over 6,000 homes and 714,088 square feet of commercial developments, with a value of £4 billion. We are proud of our award-winning developments and status as London’s leading property developer.
The Position
The Service Charge Accountant is part of our in-house Property Management team, Galliard Estate Management (GEM), working within the GEM Finance team. The role involves managing service charge, ground rent, and commercial rent accounting for a property portfolio.
This is a full-time, office-based role with working hours from Monday to Thursday, 9:00am to 5:30pm, and Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Key Responsibilities include:
1. Setting up new sites on our property and service charge management system, Bluebox, by inputting property details accurately.
2. Creating new tenancies on Bluebox aligned with completions and assignments.
3. Generating and distributing service charge and rent invoices in accordance with lease agreements, ensuring timely billing.
4. Supporting leaseholders professionally and efficiently regarding their accounts, payments, and statements, resolving queries promptly.
5. Verifying and processing invoices related to service charge expenses, ensuring payments are made per terms.
6. Monitoring expenditure against budgets, investigating variances, and posting corrections as needed.
7. Meeting monthly with Property Managers to review budget performance and highlight overspend areas.
8. Recording and reconciling bank transactions weekly to maintain financial integrity and track service charge funds.
9. Processing and allocating rent payments to property owners, ensuring compliance and accuracy monthly.
10. Calculating and posting prepayments and accruals to reflect true financial positions at year-end.
11. Preparing year-end accounts pack, including trial balance and schedules.
12. Acting as a key contact for external auditors and accountants, providing necessary documentation efficiently.
13. Preparing and issuing balancing charges and year-end reports to leaseholders.
14. Assisting Property Managers with creating and reviewing draft service charge budgets.
15. Distributing clear and transparent budget packs to leaseholders.
16. Contributing to SOPs and process improvements.
17. Providing administrative and accounting support to the wider team as required.
The Person
The ideal candidate will have proven experience in accounts, preferably in service charge accounting or similar, with a proactive, organized approach, and strong communication skills.
Essential criteria include:
* Experience in sales and purchase ledger accounts.
* Knowledge of prepayments and accruals.
* Ability to scrutinize expense data and investigate anomalies.
* Excellent communication skills across various channels.
* Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Outlook; ability to learn new systems.
* Intermediate or higher Excel skills, including PIVOT and XLOOKUP functions.
* Strong administration skills, attention to detail, and accuracy.
* Excellent organization, prioritization, and time management to meet deadlines.
* Understanding of leasehold properties.
* Experience with management accounts and year-end financial statements.
* AAT qualification or working towards it.
The Benefits
We offer a range of benefits, including:
* Life assurance
* Critical illness insurance
* Matching pension contributions
* Salary and bonus reviews
* Employee assistance programme
* Discounted gym memberships
* Cycle to Work Scheme
* Volunteering opportunities
* Sponsorship for professional qualifications
Application Process
Please include your:
* First and last name
* Email address
* Phone number (including country code)
* CV / Resume
* Work eligibility status (permit/visa/citizenship)
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