Property Manager Release Version 8.0

01/27/2010

Important Notices for v8.0 Users:

These release notes are broken down into 2 sections for major and minor enhancements to the application. A third section lists all new windows and tasks that have been added where the System Administrator at your organization will need to set security in order for you to have access to them.

 

This is a summary of enhancements made with 8.0.  Details of each enhancement are described in the appropriate sections of the Help documentation, which you can get to by clicking the links for each of these enhancements.

 

 

Jump down to:

Major Enhancements

Minor Enhancements

New Windows/Tasks to be set in Security

 

Major Enhancements

Accounting Activities To-Do List:

The view on the Accounting Detail > General Information tab has been enhanced for ease of use.  The window is now broken down into a To-Do List to better manage and track the tasks in regards to managing your accounting activities for a selected community or all communities the user is authorized to view.  The Accounting To-Do List Activities include: Pending GL Entries, Error GL Entries, Pending Payment Batches, HAP Payments to Process, Unbatched Tenant Payments, Process 236 Overage, Refund Overage, Refund Utility Reimbursements, Assess Late Charges, Create Tenant Chargebacks, viewing Units not Billed, and other batch processes that do not fit into one of these categories.

 

All the Accounting To-Do List Activities are included in the To-Do List Dashboard Object.

Import File from Bank Lockbox / Check Reader:

A new task is now available under the Accounting Detail > Payments tab to Start new Payment Batch from File.  If you utilize a Lock Box, a Check Scanner or other application that produces a file that can be imported into Property Manager, you can use this task to create a payment batch from that file.  Import file specifications for an Import Type can be created by Bostonpost Technology from documentation you provide from your lock box setup or check scanner software.  The only requirement is that each detail payment row has Property Manager’s Household ID (HHID), which can be up to 10 characters.  That way, Property Manager will be able to identify the household each payment is to be created for.  For Import Types that include the payment or deposit or processed date, this date will be the Payment Batch Date (effective date) for the Payment Batch created.

 

Imports Types have already been defined for:

 

A new merge field has been added under System Administration > Maintain Documents to support a scan line that can be included on your Rental Coupons, for example.  The scan line is also displayed on the Rent Bill Report (Reports).  The «scan_line» merge field utilizes the OCR A font (OCTA.tff) which will be installed to your computer when you upgrade to Version 8.0 of Property Manager.  This scan line can be scanned by your lockbox provider when a tenant makes payment to the lockbox.  The scan line contains the household's Household ID, Unit ID, Total Payment Amount Due, the Due Date, and a Check Digit.

 

The Rent Bill Report (Reports) has also been modified with a new selection for the Remit To Address to appear on the printed Rent Bill.  In addition to Management Office Address, Community Address or Owner Address, you can now select Remit-To Address.  The mailing address for the Remit-To Address selection is populated from the System Administration > Maintain Lookup Tables - Remit-To Address table.  Entries in this table are assigned to a Community at the Community Detail > General tab in the Community Information data window.

 

With the Import Type defined, creating a payment batch is started by importing the file.  The task will attempt to apply payments to existing open items, and any money that can’t be applied will create unapplied payments.  Before completing the task, you have the ability to go through each unapplied payment and apply them manually.  Since this imported file represents a deposit that has already occurred at the bank, you will not be able to delete checks from the batch, change the amount checks are written for, or add new checks to the payment batch.

 

When an error occurs in the Start new Payment Batch from File task while importing a file, you will receive detailed messages as to why one or more payments in the import file failed to load.  I.e. – Household ID for a payment row is missing, Household ID for a payment row doesn't exist in Property Manager, Apt Nbr in transmission file doesn't correspond to an Apt Nbr in Property Manager, etc.

NAHMA Standard XML Interface for Tax Credit State Agencies:

A new tab has been added under Occupancy & Compliance Detail for LIHTC.

 

Many states are replacing the annual reporting requirements with a website where you are required to load TIC data.   Good news!  Do not assume you need to reenter your data from Property Manager into the state website - several states are running software that allows you to import a file of TICs created in a date range and Property Manager can create that file for you.  Just like transmitting to HUD via TRACS or to USDA via MINC, there is an industry standard for a file format that we can use to transmit to your state.  It is commonly referred to as the NAHMA XML file format.    If your state can receive a file in this format, you can use the new Build LIHTC File task.  

 

How can you tell if this will work for you? Here are some states we know are able to receive the NAHMA XML file:  DE, MI, NJ, PA, SD, VA and states using Spectrum.  States often mention on their website under Tax Credit Compliance if there is a system they use to track your TICs.  Our import has been successfully loaded at state agencies running WCMS or MITAS.  Other states have created a file format of their own.  Contact Bostonpost Client Support at myMRI or contact a Client Support Analyst directly at (877) 579-8896 to find out if Bostonpost can help you with a specific file format.  For states with no electronic system, check our report list to find the annual report for your state.  If you don’t see it, contact Bostonpost Client Support at myMRI or contact a Client Support Analyst directly at (877) 579-8896 and we can help you create it.

 

For customers with communities in the State of Washington, we have implemented a new Export Type and XML layout to be able to interface with that state's "WBAR System".  The Export Type to be setup at the System Administration > Export Setup tab is "Tax Credit Transmit WBAR".  This Tax Credit Export Type works slightly differently than the standard "Tax Credit Transmit" Export Type in that the WBAR System expects a full refresh of the current year data until user finalizes the data in the WBAR System (https://www.wbars.com/default.aspx).  This new Export Type replaces the need to use the Tax Credit YTD (WA) Report available at Reports.

 

This tab container and its underlying tasks allow for the building and transmission compliance data for Low Income Housing Tax Credit funding programs.  This new tab has the same look and feel as the tab containers for managing MINC and PIC transmissions.  You will create a Tax Credit file and upload it to the appropriate agency.

 

In the Build LIHTC File task, you will build files for one community at a time and can narrow the selection down by Funding Program.  The selection of certifications to include can be done for certs within an effective date range or for all certs not yet transmitted.  You also have the option to include certifications that have been transmitted, if it is necessary to transmit them again.  After the file is built the task will open the web site or detail the destination of a file to be saved that has been defined under System Administration > Export Setup for the community the file is being transmitted for.  Once the certifications have been sent, they will be marked as ”Transmitted”.  Other tasks available from this tab include: Review/Edit LIHTC File, Transmit/Retransmit File and Delete Selected File.  From the Household Detail > Transactions tab, you can use the Mark as Transmitted and Undo Transmission tasks to handle any issues that arise.

 

The prerequisites to complete the Build LIHTC File task correctly are:

 

The Review/Edit LIHTC File task shows the contents of the LIHTC Transmission file that has already been created and allows it to be updated.  You can also add a note to the file.  The file you are editing can replace the original file or you can create a copy of the file under a new name.   You can also choose to use this task to just review the File without saving any changes that are made.

Document Imaging Interface:

A new service has been added to Property Manager which is billed separately from the standard monthly processing fee.  If you wish to implement Document Imaging and the associated electronic storage of these images, please contact Bostonpost Client Support at myMRI or contact a Client Support Analyst directly at (877) 579-8896 to learn about rates and how to get started.

 

In various tasks in Property Manager a Scan Wizard has been added to allow for a document imaging interface.  This new scan wizard will be a step in several tasks to support the acquisition of images individually or in bulk from a scanner, fax, network fax or a file stored on a PC or network.  When an attachment exists for an item in Property Manager (certification, AP Invoice, household Note, or community note), there will be a paperclip which you can click on to view the attachment or maintain the attachments.

 

Under System Administration > Maintain Lookup Tables – Business Constants, you can set where you want to allow attachments:  Invoices, Fixed Assets, Transactions, Community Notes and Household Notes.

 

Security for the ability to add and maintain or just view attachments is available separate from the tasks where the attachments are added from.  Each of these areas has its own securable object under System Administration > Define Access.  In this way an individual, for example, can still access the Receive Verification Forms task, but can’t add attachments while in the task or only has the ability to view attachments while in this task.

 

Attachments Tasks:

The Attachments popup allows you to create an attachment from a File or from a Scan.  When you click the File link, an ”Attach Existing File” dialogue box appears.  It will default to the ”My Documents” directory on your computer, but you can browse elsewhere both on your computer or mapped drives on your organization's network.  The Network button allows you to map a drive to another location on your network if necessary.  When you click the Scan link, a ”Scan a Document” dialogue box appears.  As long as you have a scanner attached to your computer, you can click the Scan button to begin the scanning of a document.  You can choose to save the scanned document as either a PDF or JPG file.

 

You are limited by file size for attachments from a file or a scan.  You will receive an error if the size of the attachment exceeds 1 MB.

 

Under File > Select Scanner, you can select the appropriate source for your scanned documents.  This can be more than one scanner, a fax, camera, etc.

  

If the file type of the attachment is PDF or JPG, then the popup will preview the attachment without having to open it.  All other attachment types (DOC, XLS and others) will need to be opened to see their contents.  For attachments that cannot be previewed, the link ”Unable to preview this attachment – Click here to open” will be displayed.

 

 

For IRES MRI users who Load AP Invoices to MRI AP, a secure web site has been created to display attachments for AP Invoices that can be viewed from your MRI AP Module.  If you use the Receive Invoice, Receive Credit Memo, Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice, Maintain Selected Invoice/Credit Memo or Approve Invoice tasks from the Accounts Payable Detail > General tab and attach as scanned image to an invoice, then when you use the Load to Accounting task a URL will be sent to MRI AP along with the AP Invoice that points to the attachment.  From MRI AP you will click on this link when viewing the AP Invoice, and you will then log onto this secure website with your Property Manager User ID and Password to view the attachment.

Maintain Min/Max by Unit Class

A new task has been added to the Community Detail > Contract tab to Maintain Unit Class Counts.  This task was added to support compliance set asides that are specified by unit size (aka Unit Class).  When compliance set asides are maintained by Unit Class, you cannot change your Mins and Maxs for an income layer with the Maintain Income Layers task.

 

For a HUD contract (program that provides subsidy that is subsidy type = BMIR or Sec 236), the total row for income layers must be selected on the Community Detail > Contract tab, and then this task allows you to enter number of units in each unit class.  The number is the exact number.  The sum of the counts by unit class will be validated to match the total units on the Community Detail > Contract tab.

 

For a BIN contract (Tax Credit rules apply), min and/or max nbr units by unit class can be maintained for an individual income layer or by total.   The number entered may just be a compliance minimum, so does not dictate the total number of units in the BIN.

Leases:

The Occupancy and Compliance Detail > Leases tab has been updated to simplify the flow of the To-Do List Activities.  The intent of this page is to provide a central location for the users to notify household's of their upcoming Lease renewal or acknowledge that the household will not be renewing their lease but will continue to remain living in the unit on a month to month basis (MTM).  This tab page and lease functionality allows you to track and maintain leases independent of Annual Recertifications, if necessary.

 

The To-Do List Activities for Leases has been reduced to 2 from 3.  Instead of Send Notices, Review/Update Lease and Sign Lease, you now have Create Lease and Sign Lease.  The Send Notices and Review/Update Lease To-Do List Activities have been combined into the Create Lease To-Do List Activity.  You no longer need to send notices before creating the new lease.

 

The task Lease Review is now called Lease Renewal.  The task Skip Step(s) is no longer needed as you have the option to either Send Notices or perform the Lease Change or Lease Renewal without sending notices.  The tasks Redo Lease Change and Redo Lease Renewal have been added to be able to make changes to your lease before it is signed.  Finally the task Sign Multiple Leases has been added.

 

Create Lease

Sign Lease

    Send Notices

    Reprint Leases

    Reprint Notices

    Redo Lease Change

    Lease Change

    Redo Lease Renewal

    Lease Renewal (was Lease Review)

    Sign Lease

 

    Sign Multiple Leases

Utility Allowance Change:

New tasks have been added to the Community Detail > Rent tab for Add Utility Allowance Change, Certify Utility Allowance Changes, Maintain Selected Utility Change - mm/dd/yy, Change Selected UA Effective Date - mm/dd/yy, and Delete Selected Utility Change - mm/dd/yy.  These tasks are available when the Agency doesn't control the rent change to better support a Utility Allowance change when that's the only part of the Rent Plan being updated.  All these tasks are similar to the existing Rent Plan tasks, but only change the Utility Allowance.  As a part of this change, two new parameters have been added to the System Administration > Maintain Lookup Tables - Rent Change Method table.  For a Utility Allowance Increase (tenant decrease) and Utility Allowance Decrease (tenant increase), select either Change on Date or Change on Next Rent Change.  The usual setup for these two parameters would be to have Utility Allowance Increases change on the effective date of the change because the tenant's portion of rent will decrease, and to have Utility Allowance Increases change on the next rent change date because you will be increasing the tenant's portion of rent.

Accounts Payable Improvements:

The Accounts Payable Menu Item with the Receive Invoice and Invoice Detail tab pages below it have been updated to be more consistent with the rest of the application.  Under Accounts Payable Detail there are 2 new tab pages General Information and Invoice.  Each with a series of tasks to help you make managing accounts payable invoices in Property Manager easier and more efficient.  Also new under Accounts Payable Detail is a new Find Invoice popup.  This popup allows you to find invoices by their invoice number, received date range, community, status of its work order line items, vendor and/or PO number.

 

The Accounts Payable Detail > General Information tab page is in the form of a To-Do List.  The 3 activities on this tab include: Code Invoices, Approve Invoices and Export Invoices.  The available tasks will vary based on which Activity you are looking at.  If you double-click any invoice on this tab, you will be brought to the Accounts Payable Detail > Invoice tab where tasks can be performed that are both available here and only on the Invoice tab.  Please note that if any invoices existed prior to upgrade that were out-of-balance (sum of amount billed on line items doesn't equal the total amount of the invoice) they have been deleted on upgrade.  This was necessary because this out-of-balance condition is no longer possible with v8.0 of Property Manager.  The only incomplete invoices that are allowed are those that have not been coded with GL Accounts for the line items of the invoice.

 

Code Invoices:

Export Invoices:

  Receive Invoice

  Receive Invoice

  Receive Credit Memo

  Receive Credit Memo

  Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice

  Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice

  Maintain Selected Invoice/Credit Memo

  Load to Accounting

  Delete Invoice(s)

  Unapprove Invoice

  Maintain Invoice Accounts

  Maintain Invoice Accounts

Approve Invoices:

 

  Receive Invoice

 

  Receive Credit Memo

 

  Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice

 

  Maintain Selected Invoice/Credit Memo

 

  Delete Invoice(s)

 

  Approve Invoices

 

  Maintain Invoice Accounts

 

 

The Accounts Payable Detail > Invoice tab will display the last invoice you were working on.  You can use the Find Invoice popup to search for the invoice you want to work on.

 

The Receive Invoice task has been created to replace the old Receive Invoice process under Accounts Payable Detail.  In prior versions of Property Manager this was not a task but a menu item.  By making this a task, it is easier to use and more consistent with the way the rest of Property Manager is laid out.

 

A new task, Maintain Invoice Accounts, has been added to both the General Information and Invoice tabs under Accounts Payable Detail.  This task allows you to add invoice accounts, maintain existing invoice accounts and make existing invoice accounts inactive.  This new task replaces the System Administration > Maintain Lookup Table where Invoice Accounts had been maintained in prior versions.

 

Two new tasks, Receive Credit Memo and Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice are available from the Accounts Payable Detail > General and Invoice tabs.  The invoice to be credited can be found with the Invoice Finder or from with in the task.  It is not necessary to find an AP Invoice to receive the Credit Memo against.  You can receive a Credit Memo that doesn't reference an AP Invoice.  This is especially helpful when a Credit Memo covers more than one invoice.

Recurring Charges/Billing of Ancillary Services

When Adding/Maintaining a Charge Type from System Administration > Accounting Setup – Charge Type Setup using the Insert Charge Type and Maintain Charge Type tasks, a new check box is available to ”Display on Move-in/Renewal”.  This charge type parameter can be customized for each community/funding program group at Accounting Detail > Account Maintenance using the Customize Charge Type and Maintain Customized Charge Type tasks.

 

Any Charge Types that have ”Display on Move-In/Renewal” selected will be available to add to a household as a scheduled receivable from the Create Move-In/Transfer Certification task on the Occupancy & Compliance Detail > Manage Vacancies tab and Household Detail > General tab; the Create Certification task on the Occupancy & Compliance Detail > Annual Recertification tab; and the Lease Review and Lease Change tasks on the Occupancy & Compliance Detail > Leases tab.  A new step will be available on these tasks for Recurring Charges.  From this step you can add, remove or change recurring charges.  Adding a new recurring charge will create a new Scheduled Item on the Household’s Household Detail > Accounting > Receivables tab effective as of the same date as the certification you are working.  Changing the amount of an existing Recurring Charge will mature the existing Scheduled Item and replace it with a new Scheduled Item as of the effective date of the certification.  Removing a Recurring Charge will mature the existing Scheduled Item as of the day before the effective date of the certification.  All balance schedules created through this Recurring Charge step of the above certification tasks will have not maturity date and will be set with a frequency of Monthly.  Any scheduled items created in these tasks can be maintained directly using the Maintain Selected Scheduled Receivable task on the Household Detail > Accounting > Receivables tab.

Non-Financial Web Exports:

A new tab has been added under System Administration (System Administration > Export Setup).  This tab will display all non-financial web exports that have been created by community and export type.  Initially, the exports to be included on this tab page are the NAMA Standard XML Interfaces to Tax Credit State Agencies (see below).  The task, Create New Export is used to add new exports needed for your database.  This new tab and task allow for the definition and control of multiple non-financial exports at the community level.  One community can have as many export types defined for it as needed.  The AMSI eSite export types that had been defined under System Administration > Accounting Setup - Export Information Setup are now defined here.  If you need an non-financial export that is not currently supported, please contact Bostonpost Client Support at myMRI or contact a Client Support Analyst directly at (877) 579-8896 for assistance.

Minor Enhancements:

New Windows/Tasks for Security:

IMPORTANT:

Following are new tabs and tasks for which your System Administrator must set security before they will be available in Property Manager and in Task lists.  This is set on the Property Manager > System Administration > Define Access Tab.

 

Found in Path on Define Access Tab

Task Name

Household Detail > Additional Info

Rebill Amenity

Household Detail > Household Notes Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Household Detail > Notes.

 

Household Detail > Transaction Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Household Detail > Transactions.

 

Community Detail > Contract

Maintain Unit Class Counts

Community Detail > Rent

Certify Utility Allowance Changes

Add Utility Allowance Change

Maintain Selected Utility Change - mm/dd/yy

Change Selected UA Effective Date - mm/dd/yy

Delete Selected Utility Change - mm/dd/yy

Community Detail > Community Notes Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Community Detail > Notes.

 

Unit Detail > Maintenance > Fixed Assets

Apply Fixed Asset Rent Increase To Unit

Unit Detail > Maintenance > Fixed Assets > Fixed Asset Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Unit Detail > Maintenance > Fixed Assets.

 

Unit Detail > Rent Forecast

 

This is a new Tab for DHCR Rent Regulated communities.

 

Accounting Detail > General Information

Print Refund 236 Overage Form

Add New Scheduled Receivables

Billing Export

Occupancy and Compliance Detail > Annual Recertification Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Occupancy & Compliance Detail > Annual Recertification using the Receive Verifications task.

 

Occupancy and Compliance Detail > Leases

Sign Multiple Leases

Occupancy and Compliance Detail > PIC

Maintain Ticket Nbr for Selected File

Occupancy and Compliance Detail > LIHTC

 

 

LIHTC is a new tab page.

Build LIHTC file

Review/Edit LIHTC File

Transmit/Retransmit File

Delete Selected File

Accounts Payable Detail > General Information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Information is a new tab page.

Receive Invoice

Receive Credit Memo

Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice

Maintain Selected Invoice/Credit Memo

Delete Invoice

Approve Invoice

Load to Accounting

Unapprove Invoice

Maintain Invoice Accounts

Accounts Payable Detail > Invoice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Invoice is a new tab page

Receive Invoice

Receive Credit Memo

Receive Credit Memo for Selected Invoice

Maintain Selected Invoice/Credit Memo

Delete Invoice

Approve Invoice

Load to Accounting

Unapprove Invoice

Add Note

Maintain Note

Delete Note

Maintain Invoice Accounts

Accounts Payable Detail > Invoice Attachments

 

This is not a visible window in Property Manager, but an object that allows you to give access to users to be able to add & view attachments, just view attachments, or no access to attachments.  This security is only for attachments added to Accounts Payable Detail > General Information and Invoice.

 

System Administration > Export Setup

Export Setup is a new tab page.

Create New Export