Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE VAT on service charges can be one of the most confusing areas of residential block management, particularly when a development contains both residential flats and commercial units. Who actually pays the VAT? Can VAT be reclaimed on maintenance, cleaning and management fees? What happens when residential and commercial properties share expenses? And how can managing agents ensure VAT is correctly recorded in their servi

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights 🎧 LISTEN HERE Do Service Charge Accounts Need to Be Audited? Does your lease require an audit of your service charge accounts? And if it does, do you actually need a registered auditor? These are important questions for managing agents, Resident Management Companies (RMCs), Right to Manage (RTM) companies, landlords and leaseholders across the UK. Misunderstanding the requirements can result in unnecessary professional fees, dela

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Interest income in residential block management can raise important questions for managing agents, Resident Management Companies (RMCs), Right to Manage (RTM) companies and leaseholders. Who owns the interest earned on service charge funds? Does it belong to the management company or the leaseholders? When does interest income create a tax obligation? And can a company remain dormant while a trust tax return is require

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I’m Ray Armand, and I’m joined by CJ Ralfe. Today, we’re putting ourselves in the shoes of a leaseholder. Imagine you arrive at an AGM and you’re handed a set of service charge accounts. What should you actually look at? What figures matter? What questions should you ask? And how can you tell whether something deserves furth

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I’m Ray Armand, and I’m joined by CJ Ralfe. Today, we’re discussing why leaseholders challenge service charge accounts and what managing agents can do to reduce the risk of those challenges happening in the first place. From the conversations we have with managing agents, we’ve definitely noticed an increase in leaseholders

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I'm Ray Armand, and I'm joined by my sister and business partner, CJ Ralfe. Today, we're tackling a deceptively simple question: Who should be signing what? More specifically: Who should sign the accountant's engagement letter? Who should approve and sign off the service charge accounts? Who should sign statutory company acc

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I'm Ray Armand, and I'm joined by CJ Ralfe. Today, we're doing something a little different. Usually, CJ and I plan our episodes in quite a lot of detail so we know exactly which points we're going to cover. This time, we're taking a more informal approach. Imagine we're sitting down with you, the managing agent, over a cup

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I'm Ray Armand, and I'm joined by CJ Ralfe. Today, we're untangling related party transactions. Have you ever been asked by your service charge accountant whether there are any transactions with related parties and found yourself wondering what exactly they're asking? If so, this episode is for you. There are three pain poin

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. I'm Ray Armand, and I'm joined by CJ Ralfe. Today, we're discussing an important question for managing agents: Are you giving your service charge accountant what they actually need? You might think that once you've handed over your year-end information, you're done. But providing the right information, in the right format an

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants discuss why managing agents should consider having a separate designated client bank account for each site they manage, rather than pooling service charge funds from multiple developments into one bank account. It sounds like a relatively simple administrative de

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we talk all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants discuss an area that can create significant problems for managing agents if it isn't handled correctly: allocating service charge costs across multi-schedule and multi-block developments. When a development contains several blocks, freehold houses, leasehold propert

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants discuss an issue that can cause significant problems for managing agents, leaseholders and property owners: incorrect service charge cost allocation across multi-schedule and multi-block developments. When a development contains different blocks, freehold houses,

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. One question we are regularly asked by managing agents is: “Can we avoid having a service charge audit even if the lease says an audit is required?” It's a good question, and the answer isn't always straightforward. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants discuss service charge audits, lease requiremen

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to another episode of Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants tackle an area that can cause significant confusion for managing agents: understanding what an RMC or RTM may need to submit to Companies House and HMRC, particularly when ground rent or interest income is involved. The accounting and tax treatment can vary depen

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants take a deeper look at one of the most important documents in service charge management: the lease. In particular, they explore how the lease can affect the service charge year end, budgeting timetable, service charge invoicing dates, payment dates, cash flow and statutory accountin

Qube Talk: Service Charge Accounting Insights LISTEN HERE Welcome to Qube Talk, where we discuss all things service charge accounting. In this episode, Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe from Qube Accountants discuss seven of the most common mistakes they see managing agents make when dealing with service charge bookkeeping and accounts. From incorrectly allocating day-to-day expenditure to failing to follow the lease, getting billing periods wrong and misunderstanding reserve funds, gr

Service Charge Accounting Insights for Managing Agents LISTEN HERE Welcome to Qube Talk, the podcast where we talk about all things service charge accounting. In this first episode, hosts Ray Armand and CJ Ralfe introduce themselves, share the story behind Qube Accountants, and explain why they are passionate about helping managing agents improve their service charge accounting processes. They discuss their backgrounds as Chartered Accountants, how two sisters based in differ