Universal Anywhere Getting Started Guide. Thesaurus Technology

Transcription

1 Universal Anywhere Getting Started Guide Thesaurus Technology

2 Universal Rentals Management Getting Started Guide The getting start guide is designed to help you setup and start using Universal Rentals Management as quickly and as effectively as possible. This document goes through the key stages step by step to get you set up. Contents: 1. Setting up a Tenancy 2. The Tenancy Window Described 3. Receive Payments 4. Ongoing Receive Payments 5. Deposits 6. Pay Landlord/Tenant 7. Renew/End/Reset a Tenancy 8. Bank Accounts 9. Transfer Funds Between Bank Accounts 10. Reconcile Bank Accounts 11. Tasks 12. Maintenance 13. Training and Support 1. Setting up a Tenancy In order to create a tenancy through Universal, records for a landlord and a tenant are required. There are multiple ways in which a Tenant, landlord and Tenancy can be added in Universal. Following the Rentals progression, a rentals valuation of the property will usually be carried out first. In this initial screen, details of the property and landlord can be added, including contact information, rent value, and brief information about the property. When the valuation is complete, and set to won, Universal will prompt the user a Property record will be created and either a new landlord record created or an existing landlord updated. These 2 new records will automatically be linked together. A Valuation is not necessarily needed to add new property or landlord records on to universal. New records can be added directly via the appropriate window and by selecting New. To add an applicant on to Universal, open the applicant window and select New. Contact details and property requirements can be added. When the applicant is ready to become a tenant, there is a short cut option to convert the applicant on the applicant window (highlighted below). 2

3 A Tenancy can be created in 3 different ways: On the tenant window, once a tenant has been added, there is a quick link (highlighted below) which opens up the Tenancy window and automatically creates a new Tenancy. The 2 nd way to create a new Tenancy is to go directly to the Tenancies window, and click new. The 3 rd way to create a Tenancy is from the Tenancy window. When viewing a tenancy currently on Universal, the option to create Tenancy from this Tenancy will be active, allowing you to carry forward details into a new tenancy. Useful information In order to create a tenancy, a property record and a landlord record must be linked within universal. To link the 2 records together, open the Property window, select the Misc tab, and there is an option to link a landlord to the property. 3

4 2. The Tenancy Window Described Printing a Tenancy Agreement Click on the Print button at the bottom of the Tenancies screen. You will be presented with a list of Templates (including a sample Tenancy agreement). As with all templates within Universal, these can be edited and or added to. If you currently use a Tenancy agreement and want it to be added to Universal, you can click on upload, and select the file. Mail merge tags will need to be added to the document in order for the information to be pulled through from Universal. Terms You can choose whether the tenancy will be managed or if it will be a placement. If managed is chosen, then the agent will be able to create the rent collection schedule and receive future rent payments, if placement is chosen then the agent will only be able to receive the first rent payment, as it is not managed by the agent. After selecting a start date (from) you can either manually select a finish date (to) or set duration which will automatically set a finish date from a set duration of 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The Commission drop down can be edited within tools, and maintenance (System settings), which allows the agent to add their commission rates. The field can also be manually overridden. The source of funds becomes active when the tenancy is created. You can specify where the source of the rent is coming from. Tenant Misc Fees The agent can enter any additional fees that might occur when creating a tenancy, with the option to add VAT. Once these have been entered, they will automatically be ready to post to accounts to receive the payment. 4

5 Post to Accounts The second period start date allows the agent to specify the first rent payments date which automatically calculates how much it will be. If there had been any additional fees entered in the tenant Misc fees section, these will show here with the Post button active. Once the items have been posted, the agent will be able to receive payment via the Receive payment quick link. Future Rent Collections In order to receive future rent collections early, or to post the next rent collection before it is due, this can be done via the Receive / Post scheduled rent collections drop down found under rentals (shown below). Here you will be able to post specific rent collections that are not currently due. There are 2 options, to receive rent now, which you can instantly receive rent for, or Receive rent later, which posts it, and makes it available in the receive payments window. Rent collection schedule When viewing the rent collection schedule window, once a schedule is created, you can edit the details of the rent collection here. For example if for one month the rent was increased, you can apply the change to the specific rent. If changes are required for multiple rent collections, then you can use the tick box to select which rents are to be amended. Scheduled Rent Collections and Commission Invoices can be posted to Accounts through the Receive / Post Scheduled Rent Collections screen. Clicking on the Receive Rent Later button will post the Rent Collection and Commission Invoice to Accounts so you can you to receive the rent payment with other invoices, deposits and bills. Clicking Receive Rent Now will post the Rent Collection and Commission Invoice to Accounts and immediately receive a payment against the Rent Collection. 5

6 Create adhoc rent collections From the drop down menu rentals > create adhoc rent collections On this window you are able to create one off rent collections. You will need to use this feature if you require a collection of rent which may not be the same as the schedule, or if it is a one off collection. Additional tenants Tab The additional tenants tab allows you to add any additional tenants on to a tenancy. Clicking no add tenant will bring up a list of all tenants in Universal, and doubling clicking on the additional tenant will bring up the tenant window with their details. 3. Receive Payments Receive Payment The Receive Payments window allows you to receive payments from Tenants, Landlords, Applicants and TDS companies. Multiple Invoices/Rent/Bills and Deposits can be received with a single payment. They can also be partially paid or overpaid. If an overpayment is made the persons account will be credited with the overpayment amount. These credits can then be assigned against Invoices/Rent/Bills and Deposits in the future or paid back to the person through the relevant pay windows. Once a rent schedule has been created, or the first rent has been posted across, it will show up as due in the receive payment window. Other fees including the deposit will also show in here when posted. To receive a payment from the tenant, select the appropriate payments and enter the amount and click receive payment. This amount can be part or the full amount owed. If you are only receiving part of the payment, the amount due will update to show this. The receive payment window will only show items that are due to be received. Double clicking on the items in the receive payment window will open a detailed view of the invoice showing what payments have been received and what else is owed if any. Create Rent Collection and Commission Invoice Once a Tenancy has been created the first rent and commission invoice can be created by setting a second period start date and clicking the post buttons next to the first rent section. This option would be used if the first rent amount is different to the future amounts. Alternatively (if the first rent is the same as future rent amounts) it can be created by setting up a rent collection schedule. To Create a Rent Collection Schedule, click on the Create Rent Collection Schedule button. This will show you a number of rent collections depending on the duration of the tenancy and how often you have set the rent to be collected. Click on the create button to confirm this. 4. Ongoing receive payments When rent is due, it will show up in the reminders screen. You can go directly to the specific rent collection by double clicking on the reminder. Or you can access rents that are due 6

7 from the receive payments window, and selecting the due tab. This will list all rents due taking into account the date filter which can be changed. Double clicking on a record will take you through to the process tab for that particular collection. 5. Deposits Managing Deposits A Deposit Record can be created through the Tenancy window by entering a deposit amount in the terms and clicking on the post button next to the deposit in the Post to Accounts section. Alternatively you can create and manage deposit records through the manage deposits screen. The Manage Deposits window allows you to view, create, alter and delete deposits. Deposits are posted to accounts through here and can be received through the Receive Payment screen or paid through the relevant payment screen (Pay Tenant, Pay Landlord, Pay TDS). There are four types of deposit records available to create these are: Deposit (To receive from Tenant) Transfer To (To transfer to Landlord/TDS Company) Receive From (To receive from Landlord/TDS Company) Deposit Return (To return to Tenant) To receive payment for a deposit, the deposit will need to be posted, which can be done from the tenancy window or in the manage deposit window and clicking on the deposit button. This will update the deposit records at the bottom of the window, and the status will show whether it has been received. To receive the payment, click on the receive payment button which should be active if a deposit is due to be received. When the payment has successfully been received, the records on the deposit window will update, and the agent held deposit will show the correct amount. The agent held deposit can now be transferred to a TDS or landlord held deposit via the transfer to button shown below. To transfer the deposit, click transfer to, and enter the information as to where it s being transferred to and for how much. This then create another record at the bottom of the deposit window showing the transfer and the status. The status will automatically be set to not paid, until the Pay TDS button is clicked. This will again update the records of agent held deposits and TDS/Landlord held deposits. To Receive the money back from the deposit scheme, you will need to select receive from, and enter the details about the deposit you wish to receive. This will then appear at the bottom of the deposit window as not received until you select the receive payment button. When returning the deposit, there are options to return it to the tenant or the landlord depending on the situation. 7

8 6. Paying Landlord/Tenant Pay Tenant The pay tenant window is where you can view what is owed to the tenant. This can be in the form of a deposit or credits. Any invoices, bills, rent or deposits owed to the Agent can be deducted from the amount to pay to the tenant. If the amount to pay the tenant is zero due to the deduction, Invoices/Rent/Deposits/Bills owed to the Agent can be offset against any Deposits/Credits owed to the tenant. Statement Quick links (Drop down menu Rentals > Statement and balances) Using the quick links on the tenancy window, you can view the person s transaction history and current balance. You can filter whose statement you wish to view from landlords, tenants, suppliers, applicants, and others. The statement will show the persons current balance and deposit held. Pay Landlord The pay landlord window will list all payments due to the landlord, after receiving money from the tenant. It will also show what is owed to the agent from invoices/commission/bills. You can select specific payments to include and the net payment due will update. To pay a landlord their rent minus commission they owe the agent, you will need to select the specific rent to be paid, and select the commission to be taken from the rent. Universal will automatically calculate the net payment due to the landlord, and you can click the pay landlord button to proceed. The paid tab will show all payments made, which can be filtered down to a specific landlord. The due tab will show all payments due, and you can double click on an entry to go directly to the payment details. 8

9 Landlord Float If the landlord has a float, this can be entered via the bank details on the landlord window. A float can be used to keep a specific amount of money behind in order to pay any future payments which may be required. On the pay landlord window, if there is a float for the landlord, it will show the amount of float and give you the option to retain the float, so when you click pay landlord, the float will update with however much is required. If the landlord then owes money to the agent, on the receive payment screen from landlord, the button receive from float will be active, showing how much is currently held in the float. 7. Renew/End/Reset a Tenancy Renew/End Tab This tab allows you to Renew, Give Notice, Reset or End a Tenancy. In order to end an active tenancy, Universal requires you to give notice first. Universal will prompt you to print off a section 21 or a section 8 letter at this point, and will update the status as notice given. When the notice has been given, you will be able to end the tenancy and the status will be updated to ended. When selecting to renew a tenancy, Universal will prompt that the current tenancy status will be set to renewed, and a new tenancy will be created from it, keeping all the original details and allowing for the tenancy to be renewed. Resetting a tenancy can be done at any point, if details have been input incorrectly then you can reset the tenancy and will allow you to re-enter the correct information. Resetting a tenancy will reset all details and removed all scheduled rent collections. 9

10 8. Bank Accounts Adding a bank account on to universal can be done by selecting Rentals drop down menu > Banking > Manage bank accounts. From the manage accounts screen you can see the balances of all accounts, and you have the option to create a new account. Bank accounts within Universal are not connected or associated to your real bank accounts. You can enter any additional information for reference purposes only. 9. Transfer Funds between Bank Accounts To transfer funds between your bank accounts, including commission invoices and credits, go to Rentals drop down > Banking > Transfer funds. The transfer funds screen is useful as the agent is able to transfer out the commission that has been paid to them from their client account, and transfer it through to their business account. 10

11 10. Reconcile Bank Accounts The reconcile window in Universal is used to match up your bank accounts statement with the figures from Universal. A reconcile is to be completed so that you as the agent will know if the figures and transaction are correct against your real bank account. Once a reconcile has been completed, the items that have been reconciled will no longer be available to edit or delete from Universal. To reconcile your accounts, go to the Rentals dropdown, Banking, then choose reconcile bank accounts. Using your bank statement, check off each received payment and payment made. You can also enter any interest or bank charges. Enter the end balance that appears on your bank statement, if your end balances do not match, Universal will create an adjustment transaction to allow this. Then click reconcile. 11

12 11. Tasks Tasks can be Created, Edited and Deleted from this tab. There are preset tasks in universal which are: Gas Safety Certificate Electrical Safety Certificate PAT Safety Certificate Fire Safety Certificate Gas Check Electric Check There is also an option to Add new so any additional tasks that are missing can be added. To add a task onto universal, select the type of task to be added, and the frequency of when the task is to show up as a reminder. The option of only once will mean it will be a one off task. Setting the next date will set when the task will be due, and final date will be the last day it will remind you. Ticking the forever box will mean the task is ongoing and will be repeated until manually stopped/cancelled. The tasks above have their own separate reminders section in the Reminders window. Tasks can be added to create reminders within universal. These reminders will show up when a task is due or overdue. You can double click on the task in the reminders screen to go directly to the task to follow up. 12

13 12. Maintenance Maintenance bills can be added in to universal via the maintenance window. Clicking the add job button will open up a smaller maintenance window where the details of the supplier, property, date the job was raised, current status, cost and description. When adding a new property maintenance log, the status will initially be set to raised. As the job progresses, you will need to update it to job completed, and then Billed. When selecting billed, Universal automatically prompts you to create a bill. When selecting yes, it will take you to the Landlord/Tenant Bills window where you can enter the detailed information for the bill, including any additional Landlord/Tenant commission you charge. Upon completion of the job, and when the bill has been paid via the receive payment window, the maintenance bill can then be set to fully completed. 13

14 13. Training and Support Support As subscribers to Universal Anywhere, you are entitled to free support. The support desk is available Monday to Friday from 9:00am 5:00pm & Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm. You can contacted them on or There are other ways to get support with Universal Internal Help Files - press F1 on your keyboard when logged into Universal. Online video demonstrations Click here to view Online help and resource tools View at the following address Online video demonstrations: Internal help files: Online help and resource tools: 14

15 Training Thesaurus Technology provides online training to new and existing customers. A training session usually lasts for 1-2 hours and can involve a detailed look or just an overview of the software. The training is done over the Internet whilst the customer is on the phone. A facility is set up so the customer can simply connect to a computer in Thesaurus Technology's offices so both parties see the same screen. It allows for better communication as both parties can see the same screen and any points can be clarified or discussed there and then over the phone. Sessions can be done with multiple users via a speakerphone in your own office. To book a session please get in contact with your branch manager, who can contact us on Training sessions run Monday Friday from 10:00am 4:00pm. 15