How do condo charges and arrears work in Heroes PMS?
You issue service charges for the whole residence in one go, either split by unit share or as a fixed amount per unit, for a monthly, quarterly or yearly period. Each unit’s balance updates as payments come in, so arrears are visible the moment they appear, with who owes what and for how long.
Service charges are the main income of a condominium or owners’ association, and unpaid charges are its main risk. The module turns a spreadsheet exercise into a short routine your team repeats every period.
- Prepare the period. Decide which period you are calling, a month, a quarter or a year, and what the charges cover, in line with the budget approved by the owners or the board.
- Choose how each charge is split. Use the unit share when a cost belongs to everyone in proportion to their unit, such as common-area upkeep or building insurance. Use a fixed amount when every unit pays the same. Shares come from the unit register, so nothing is retyped.
- Issue the charges in one go. Heroes PMS works out the amount for every unit and adds it to each unit’s balance. Owners see their balance in their portal and can pay online from the portal or the app.
- Let payments update the balances. As your team records payments, by cash, transfer or online, each unit’s balance goes down. There is no separate reconciliation sheet to keep in step.
- Follow arrears unit by unit. The arrears view shows who owes what and for how long. The dashboard adds the total and compares this month’s collections with what was due, so you see at once whether the residence is on track.
- Act early. Contact owners as soon as an amount is late, while the sum is still small. Keep the conversation factual: the balance the owner sees in the portal is the same one your team sees.
Who uses it, and when?
Charges and arrears are used by condominium management companies, the treasurers of owners’ associations and the accounting staff of building managers. The module helps most when a residence has many units with different shares, when charges are called quarterly or yearly and owners forget in between, or when the board asks for an arrears figure before a general assembly and the answer used to take a day of spreadsheet work.
| Step | Before (spreadsheets, chat groups) | With Heroes PMS |
|---|---|---|
| Calculating charges | A formula per unit, checked by hand | Amount per unit worked out from the share or a fixed amount |
| Issuing | Notices prepared one by one | Every unit charged in one go |
| Balances | Updated when someone has time | Updated as payments come in |
| Arrears | Discovered at the end of the year | Visible the moment they appear, with how long they have been due |
| Owner questions | “How much do I owe?” by phone or chat | The owner checks the balance in the portal and pays online |
Tips to keep arrears low
- Keep a steady rhythm. Owners pay more reliably when charges arrive at the same point of every period.
- Explain the split. Tell owners which charges are by share and which are fixed, for example in an announcement or in the general assembly minutes.
- Encourage online payment. The fewer steps between the charge and the payment, the fewer late payments. Owners can pay from the portal and app.
- Look at age, not only amount. A small debt that is many months old needs attention before a larger one from last week.
- Share the figures with the board. A read-only role lets board members follow collections and arrears on the dashboard without asking staff.
- Record every payment against the right unit. Balances and arrears are only as reliable as the payments behind them.
