instruction manual park billing co., inc.mrc.parkbilling.com/instruction_manual.pdf3 introduction...

Instruction Manual

Park Billing Co., Inc. Post Office Box 910

Dixon, California 95620 Phone: (707)693-9999

Fax: (707)693-9992

Copyright © 1988, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2005 by Park Billing Company, Incorporated. The contents of this manual may not be reproduced in any

form by any means, in part or in whole, without the prior written consent of Park Billing Company, Incorporated.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 3

The Monthly Process 4

The Basic Billing Package 6

The Resident’s Statement 7

Park Reference Materials 11

Utility Meter Charts 17 Park Recap Report 24 Miscellaneous Reports 27

Month Summary Report 36

Closing The Books 44

Tenant Change Form 51

Two Letter Charge Codes 55 Special Charges Tenant Change Form 58

Rent Change Form 61

Meter Read Chart 67

Special Services 72

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Introduction Park Billing Co., Inc. offers a complete billing system for keeping accurate accounts and records for a mobile home park. Management Companies which already have their own accounting systems find that they can easily adapt the forms from Park Billing Co., Inc. In addition, Park Billing is flexible enough to incorporate many special requests from its customers. Many of our best features are the result of customer requests over the years! This manual, with instructions, examples, and samples of forms, is designed to assist park managers and bookkeepers in their tasks. The samples include realistic situations occurring in the mobile home park environment. If, after reading this manual, you have any questions about how to proceed with your monthly billing process, please do not hesitate to call your customer service representative.

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The Monthly Process At Park Billing it is our intention to provide quick accurate billing at all times. Our goal is to provide a three-business day turn-around time in our office. How Does The Turn-Around Time Work? The Turn-around time begins when we receive all necessary information to process your billing. For most of our customers that means the Tenant Change Form and Meter Read Chart. Some customers that have special situations may be required to provide more information such as master meter bills, etc. Due to the volume of paperwork we receive each day, the day we actually receive your paperwork does not count as one of the three days. As your paperwork arrives, we check to make sure that we have all pages and sort your paperwork to your personal Customer Service Representative for processing. The following business day is day one. Your paperwork is sent to the Data Entry Department for processing. From there your paperwork will travel through several departments that specialize in different areas of sub-metered billing. This process takes approximately three business days until the paperwork is printed in the Shipping Department. Any billing packages prepared after the delivery carriers have picked up that day will be shipped on the following business day. Park Billing is also able to mail copies of the Resident Statement directly to the residents. If you would like this service there is an added fee. It is important that properties taking advantage of this service alert Park Billing to any bills, which need extra postage to be mailed outside of the United States.

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Some situations that can delay your billing from being printed are:

1. Meter reading errors. After we update your current meter readings, we run a trend analysis to determine if any spaces have a high usage. We try and fax these errors to you immediately. Please reread these meters and fax the information to Park Billing as soon as possible. If you do not have a fax machine, or we cannot get through, we will review the changes and either make changes or call you to review them. If we make changes without your knowledge, we will include a note with your billing package alerting you to what we changed. Please review these and let us know of any further changes that might be necessary.

2. If Park Billing reads your meters, we will not run your billing until we receive a Tenant Change Form as well as the meter readings. If your property does not have many changes, and you would like to have your billing printed without waiting for a Tenant Change Form, please let your Customer Service Representative know. We will be happy to accommodate that request.

3. If your meters are read with a handheld meter reading device, we will not run your billing until we receive a Tenant Change Form as well as the meter readings. If your property does not have many changes, and you would like to have your billing printed without waiting for a Tenant Change Form, please let your Customer Service Representative know. We will be happy to accommodate that request.

4. If your property reads it’s own meters, we will not hold your billing each month until we receive a Tenant Change Form, please let your Customer Service Representative know. We will be happy to do so.

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The Basic Billing Package Our basic billing package, without customization, has three specific

parts. They are:

a) Three part statements The resident statements show the amount that each tenant owes for the current month. Please refer to the Resident’s Statement section for explanations and examples.

b) Two part 81/2 x 11 white sheets These are your park reference materials. They include many useful tenant listings and worksheets that you will rely on. Please refer to the Park Reference Materials section for explanations and samples.

c) Two part buff colored Month Summary Report This form has 15 numbered, labeled columns, and is used to record payments from tenants. Please refer to the Month Summary Report section for explanations and samples.

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The Resident’s Statement

Park billing prepares one resident statement for each space number that has a name. Any space that does not have a name listed is considered to be vacant. No bill will print for that space, and no totals will be included on the Month Summary or Park Recap forms. The Resident Statement is a three-part form consisting of white, yellow, and pink copies. The usual procedure is for the tenant to retain the white copy, the park to retain the yellow copy, and the owner to retain the pink copy. The resident statement has two portions: a) The charge portion has the following features:

1. The return address. This should be the address you want undelivered bills to be returned to by the post office.

2. The resident’s mailing address. There are two lines available for names, one line for a street address, and one line for city, state, and zip code. There are 30 characters available for each line.

3. The account number. The first three characters are the park number (the park’s account number with Park Billing). The next six characters are the space number used by Park Billing. The last character is a tenant identification number used by some parks in conjunction with outside software.

4. Meter reading dates. These dates should reflect the exact dates meters were read.

5. Gas meter information. This identifies the gas meter as measuring in cubic feet. It also records how many cubic feet are reflected by the meter readings. This is generally 100 for natural gas users.

6. Electric meter information. Electric meters measure kWhs. 7. Water meter information. This identifies the water meter as

measuring in cubic feet or gallons. It also records how many cubic feet or gallons are reflected by the readings.

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8. Meter readings. The starting meter readings for gas, electric, and water are listed in the ‘FROM’ column. The current meter readings are listed in the ‘TO’ column.

9. Difference between starting meter reading and current meter reading. The difference between starting and current meter readings for gas, electric, and water are listed in the ‘DIFF’ column.

10. Number of units billed. The number of energy units billed to the tenant for gas, electric, and water are listed in the ‘ENERGY UNITS’ column. Sometimes the number listed in this column will differ from the number listed in the ‘DIFF’ column. Usually, this will occur for gas usage when a therm factor or altitude factor is used.

11. Therm Factor. The serving natural gas company determines the therm factor. This factor will vary from month to month. It is multiplied by the difference in meter readings to determine the number of therms used by the resident.

12. Altitude Factor. The altitude factor is used for parks that have sub-metered propane. The difference on the meter is multiplied by the altitude factor in order to correctly determine how many cubic feet of propane to bill to the resident.

13. Charges. The top three lines show charges for gas, electric, and water usage (energy units). The body of the charge section identifies and lists charges for taxes, special charges, temporary charges, previous balances, and credits.

14. Please Pay Total. This is the total amount of all charges the resident owes.

15. Message. There are five lines available for messages to your residents. The first line has 54 characters available. The next four lines have 73 characters available. The pictured sample bill shows our default message. This message will appear unless the park management has requested something different.

b) The utility detail portion has the following features:

1. Separate gas, electric, and water breakdown of charges. The type of charge is listed on the left, the rate is listed directly to the right of that, and the total for that charge item is listed to the far right. Some utility companies have more than one rate, depending on the amount of energy units used. These are called tiers of rates, and each tier that is billed to the tenant will be listed.

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2. Baseline allowance. The baseline allowance is the amount of usage billed at the first tiered rate.

3. CARE allowance. If the resident is billed at a ‘CARE’ rate for gas or electricity, the words “CARE allowance” will appear in the appropriate utility detail portion of the bill.

4. Medical baseline. If a resident qualifies for a medical baseline allowance, the words “Medical baseline” appear in the appropriate utility detail portion of the bill.

5. Type of water meter. In the water utility detail portion of the bill, the type of water meter will be listed, either cubic feet or gallon water meter.

6. Number of billing days. The number of billing days between the starting meter reading date and the current meter reading date is listed at the bottom right corner of the utility detail portion of the resident statement.

7. Detachable. The entire utility detail portion of the resident statement can be detached along the perforated line.

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Park Reference Materials Tenant Listing

The first report of the park reference is the tenant listing report. This listing shows a summary of the information for each space number. This is a very useful and informative report. Please take the time to study the format of this report so that you have a clear understanding of the information it contains. This one report will save you many headaches and hours of frustration when used properly!

We recommend strongly that before any tenant changes are communicated to Park Billing, the changes be checked against the tenant listing report. This will prevent the manager from requesting changes that don’t need to be made, and alert the manager to some changes that need to be made, that are somewhat less common. Please see the tenant change form section for more about making tenant changes The first line at the top of the page contains: 1. The Park Name 2. The Park Number (account number) 3. The starting meter read date (this will always be the 1st for parks that do

not have sub-metered utilities) 4. The current meter reading date (this will always be the last day of the

month for parks that do not have sub-metered utilities) 5. The billing month and year The second line at the top of the page contains: 1. The therm factor (if billing for natural gas) 2. Units (this is a column heading for number of therms for natural gas,

cubic feet for propane gas, kWh for electricity, and difference of meter readings for water, ccf or cgals usually)

3. Charge (this is a column heading for the utility charges that were billed to the resident)

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4. Spec Charges (this is a column heading for two rows of special charges that appear directly below)

The body of the Tenant Listing has each space listed between dotted lines. In the lines provided for each space are the charges for the current month. There is also some miscellaneous data, which is not printed on the resident statement that you may want to keep track of. With some exceptions, if any item is not used for a space, the slot for that information will be blank on the tenant listing report. Only non-blank identifiers and non-zero dollar amounts are printed. Line by line, from left to right, the format of the Tenant Listing is as follows: Line 1: 1. Tenant’s name. This will reflect only the name listed under code NA.

Any information listed under code N1 will be reflected on the resident statement, but will not appear on this report.

2. Tenant’s account number. The first 3 characters are the park number and the next six characters are the space number.

3. Starting gas meter reading (code SG). 4. Ending gas meter reading (code CG). 5. Number of gas energy units used. Units are in therms for natural gas

users and in altitude corrected cubic feet for propane users. 6. Amount charged for gas. 7. Special charge 1(code S1) and dollar amount. 8. Special charge 5 (code S5) and dollar amount. Line 2: 1. Street address (code ST). 2. A series of six characters, each of which have a special meaning.

a) 1st digit - used when the park has more than one water rate billed to residents. If a resident is being billed the alternate water rate, a 1 will appear in this spot (code AC). Otherwise, a zero will appear.

b) 2nd digit - used for some electric discounts (code EA). If a discount is being given, a 1, 2, or 3 will appear in this spot. If no discount is being given, a zero will appear.

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c) 3rd digit - used to identify an all-electric space (code EH). If a 1 appears in this spot, the resident is being given the all-electric baseline allowance for electricity. If no added baseline allowance is being given, a zero will appear.

d) 4th digit - not being used currently, only a zero should appear in this spot.

e) 5th digit - used to identify electric meters that need to have the difference on the meter multiplied by 10 or more (code MM). If this spot is a zero, then no multiplier is being used. If a 1 appears in this slot, then a multiplier of ten is being used.

f) 6th digit - used to identify some special utility rates (code PQ). If a zero appears, then this code is not currently being used.

3. Tenant ID number. This is not used by all parks. 4. Starting electric meter reading (code SE). 5. Current electric meter reading (code CE). 6. Number of electric energy units used in kWh. 7. Amount charged for electricity. 8. Special charge 2 (code S2) and dollar amount. 9. Special charge 6 (code S6) and dollar amount. Line 3: 1. City, state, and zip code (code CI) or CARE expiration date (code GL for

gas CARE and EL for electric CARE). When a resident is being given the CARE rate for both gas and electricity, two dates will appear. The first date is the expiration date for gas; the second date is the expiration date for electric. If the city, state, and zip codes are listed, the tenant is not receiving a CARE discount.

2. A series of characters which have special meaning: a) 1st digit - Bill gas (code BG). When a Y appears in this slot, the

resident will receive a charge for any gas units used. When an N appears, the resident will not be charged for any gas used, and a detail of what the resident would have been billed appears in the utility detail portion of the resident statement.

b) 2nd digit - Bill electric (code BE). See bill gas above for explanation.

c) 3rd digit - Bill water (code BW). See bill gas above for explanation.

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d) 4th digit - Water factor (code WF). This is used to determine what unit of measure the water meter uses. Usually, either a C (100’s of cubic feet), or a G (100’s of gallons) will appear.

e) Tax exemption (code EX) - When a resident is exempt from being billed for taxes, a Y will appear in this spot. If no Y appears, or an N appears, the resident will be billed for any applicable taxes.

3. Starting water meter readings (code SW). 4. Current water meter readings (code CW). 5. Number of water units used. 6. Amount charged for water. 7. Special charge 3 (code S3) and dollar amount. 8. Special charge 7 (code S7) and dollar amount. Line 4: 1. Move in date (code MI). 2. Tax dollar amount. This will include any taxes billed to the tenant,

including sewer charges that are based on water usage. 3. Temporary charge 1(code T1) and amount. 4. Temporary charge 2 (code T2) and amount. 5. Special charge 4 (code S4) and amount. 6. Special charge 8 (code S8) and amount. Line 5: 1. Lease expiration date (code LE) 2. Message to that individual tenant (code MS) or Temporary charges 3 and

4 (codes T3 and T4) and amounts. 3. Temporary charge 5 (code T5) and amount. 4. Special charge 9 (code S9) and amount.

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Line 6: 1. Lease anniversary date (code LA) 2. Security Deposit amount being held by park (code SD) 3. Previous balance charged to tenant on that month’s billing (code PB) 4. Credit balance applied to tenant on that month’s billing (code CR) 5. Rent amount (code RE) 6. Total billed to tenant that month

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Utility Meter Charts The Meter Charts for gas, electricity, and water follow the Tenant Listing Report. They show the utility costs for various quantities of usage for the current month. The dollar amounts include all customer charges etc. that would normally appear in the utility detail portion of the resident statement.

Managers that wish to adjust the amount of usage billed to a resident will find this report very useful. Please note that any adjustment to a resident’s utility charges should be accomplished by correcting the meter reading, not the dollar amount. The new meter reading must be communicated to park billing in order for the resident to be billed appropriately the following month.

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Gas Utility Meter Chart The Gas Meter Chart is divided up into columns. There are two types of columns, therms and $Cost (parks that use propane will have a column labeled 10ft instead of therms). To use the Gas Meter Chart correctly, use the following instructions: 1. Determine the correct Gas Meter Chart to use. Many parks will have

more than one gas utility user chart, if more than one gas rate is used in the park’s monthly billing. Examples of this would be low-income discounts etc.

2. Determine the number of therms used by the tenant. For natural gas users you accomplish this by multiplying the difference between the meter readings by the therm factor. The correct therm factor is listed on the first line of the tenant listing report. For parks that use propane, multiply the difference on the meter by the altitude factor to determine the amount of altitude corrected cubic feet. In both cases round to the nearest whole number.

3. Find the correct number of therms used in the therm column (propane users find the correct amount of cubic feet used in the cubic feet column). There are eight columns listed as therms (or cubic feet) on the page. If your usage amount does not appear in the first column, look to the next column labeled therm (or cubic feet) until you find the correct number.

4. Charge the resident the corresponding dollar amount. Directly to the right of the usage amount is a dollar amount for that usage. This is the amount to bill the resident.

It is important to note that the dollar amounts listed on this report are based on the number of billing days that the park billed for that month. If a bill is needed for a tenant that is moving out, or a resident needs a bill for fewer days than the billing days reflected on the billing, please call Park Billing for corrected amounts. Many utilities have daily charges, and this report cannot give correct dollar amounts for partial billing periods.

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Water Utility Meter Chart The Water Meter Chart is divided up into columns. There are two types of columns, usage and $Cost. To use the Water Meter Chart correctly, use the following instructions: 1. Determine the correct Water Meter Chart to use. Many parks will have

more than one Water Meter Chart, if more than one type of meter measurement is used in the park’s monthly billing. Examples of this would be gallon and cubic foot meters in one park, low-income discounts etc.

2. Determine the number of units used by the tenant. This is accomplished by subtracting the starting water meter reading from the current water meter reading.

3. Find the correct number of units used in the usage column. There are eight usage columns listed on the page. If your usage amount does not appear in the first column, look to the next usage column until you find the correct number.

4. Charge the resident the corresponding dollar amount. Directly to the right of the usage amount is a dollar amount for that usage. This is the amount to bill the resident.

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Electric Utility Meter Chart The Electric Meter Chart is divided up into columns. There are two types of columns, KW and $Cost To use the Electric Meter Chart correctly, use the following instructions: 1. Determine the correct Electric Meter Chart to use. Many parks will have

more than one electric utility user chart, if more than one electric rate is used in the park’s monthly billing. Examples of this would be low-income discounts etc.

2. Determine the number of kWh’s used by the tenant. This is accomplished by subtracting the starting electric meter reading from the current electric meter reading.

3. Find the correct number of kWh’s used in the KW column. There are eight columns listed as KW on the page. If your usage amount does not appear in the first column, look to the next column labeled KW until you find the correct number. Please note that the electric utility meter chart lists kWh in increments of five.

4. Charge the resident the corresponding dollar amount. Directly to the right of the usage amount is a dollar amount for that usage. If the usage amount falls between two listed amounts, you must figure the difference between the dollar amounts above and below the usage amount. Then divide that number by five. This will give you the amount to bill for each kWh over the dollar amount listed as the lower of the two amounts the usage falls between.

It is important to note that the dollar amounts listed on this report are based on the number of billing days that the park billed for that month. If a bill is needed for a tenant that is moving out, or a resident needs a bill for fewer days than the billing days reflected on the billing, please call Park Billing for corrected amounts. Many utilities have daily charges, and this report cannot give correct dollar amounts for partial billing periods.

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Park Recap Report The first page of the Park Recap Report is used to show the total adjustments made for the entire park. It is also used to list bank deposits. Adjusted amounts can be reconciled with the deposit amounts for balancing totals. The second page of the report lists master meter usage versus tenant meter usage. The total dollar amount of security deposits being held by the park is listed here, as well as the number of spaces listed on our billing system, how many bills were prepared in your billing, and the vacancy rate. Please see “Closing The Books” section for further instructions on how to use this form.

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Miscellaneous Reports You will also receive the following reports automatically as part of your monthly billing:

1. Listing of park historical data for last 24 months. 2. Listing of Previous balances and credits. This report also lists

temporary charges and the verbiage used for them on the tenant bill. 3. Lease expirations. 4. Listing of low income and medical allowances. 5. Listing of resident telephone numbers. 6. Listing of messages to individual tenants (code MS). 7. Listing of spaces that had no usage for gas, electric, or water. We

highly recommend that you review this report each month and verify that any spaces that show no usage are correct.

8. Listing of spaces that have the billing function turned off for gas, electricity, or water. We highly recommend that you review this report each month and verify that any spaces not being billed are correct.

Worksheets

1. Park Recap – totals for park, cost per unit of gas, electric, etc., used to balance books.

2. Tenant Change Form – used to make changes or additions to the next billing.

3. Meter Read Chart – used to record meter readings for the next billing.

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Month Summary Report The Month Summary Report is mainly for recording the date paid and the amount collected from each tenant. If the tenant’s bill does not need any corrections, the manager will record only two entries:

1. The date paid 2. The amount collected

If the total amount due on the tenant’s bill needs to be adjusted, the changes are written on the tenant’s bill, the Month Summary Report, and the adjustment detail sheet. On the Month Summary Report, draw a line through the amount you need to adjust, and write in the correct amount directly above the incorrect amount. Be careful not to white out or obliterate the amount you are changing, as you may need to refer to it later. The columns of the Month Summary Report can be customized to suit your needs. The rent, utility charges, previous balance, credit, and temporary charges can be added into any of the columns 4 through 14. Subtotals can be done for any sequence of columns. Unless otherwise requested, the standard default setup is: Column 1: Empty – used for the manager to record the date paid Column 2: Tenant name, last name first Column 3: Space number Column 4: Empty Column 5: Empty Column 6: Rent Column 7: Gas, electric, and water charges. Also all tax amounts.

Column 8: Special charges 1 through 9, and temporary charges 1 through 5 Column 9: Empty Column 10: Total of columns 4 through 9 Column 11: Previous balances and credits Column 12: Empty Column 13: Empty

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Column 14: Empty Column 15: Empty Once again, please keep in mind that the Month Summary Report can be adjusted to suit your needs. Many customers choose to separate gas, electric, and water charges, for example. We will be happy to discuss any changes with you. All of the following discussion refers to the standard setup of columns on the Month Summary Report. If you have a customization of this report, then the columns referred to may be different.

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Here are some examples of special situations requiring adjustments or changes to the Month Summary Report. The basic method is to write any changes above the exiting number and recalculate a total for column 10. Please keep in mind that these examples do not cover all possibilities, but indicate a general method. Example #1 The resident in space 3 has an added security deposit to pay of $100.00.

1. In column 9 write the amount $100.00. 2. Put the notation “security deposit $100.00” in the remarks column

(column 15). 3. Record the change on the adjustment detail worksheet. 4. Adjust the total in column 10 by re-adding columns 6 through 9. The

new total is $633.93. 5. Draw a single line through the old total and enter the new total in

column 10. Example #2 The resident in space 4 pays late and includes the late charge of $15.00 in his payment.

6. Write the total amount of the late charge (we’ll use a value of $15.00) combined with the current total of column 8 above the incorrect amount in column 8.

7. Put the notation “Late chg - $15.00” in the remarks column (column 15). 8. Record the change on the adjustment detail worksheet. 9. Adjust the total in column 10 by re-adding columns 6 through 9. The


column 10.

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Example #3 The resident in space 5 is receiving a rent promotion credit this month of $100.00.

1. Enter the combined amount of <$100.00> and the current total of column 6 above the incorrect amount in column 6.

2. Put the notation “rent promo $100.00” in the remarks column. 3. Record the change on the adjustment detail worksheet with brackets

around it indicating a credit (<$100.00>). 4. Adjust the total in column 10 by re-adding columns 6 through 9. The


column 10. Example #4 The resident in space 6 moved out without paying. All of the charges must be reversed.

1. Above each of the values in columns 6 through 9, enter a zero. 2. Record each change on the adjustment detail worksheet with brackets

indicating these are credits. 3. Put a notation in column 15 “move out non-pay”. 4. Adjust the total in column 10 by re-adding columns 6 through 9. The


column 10.

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Closing The Books

The first step in closing the books for the month is to complete the entries in the Month Summary Report. Entries must be made in columns 12, 13, and 14. It is important to remember that the total owed includes columns 10 and 11.

1. Make sure that the amount collected is entered into column 12. 2. Enter any loss of rent amounts (mgr credits, vacancy credits, etc. that

are not reflected on the billing) into column 14. Loss of rent is also called allowances or concessions by some of our customers.

3. To find the previous balance amounts to be entered add columns 10 and 11, and then deduct any payment made as well as any loss of rent amount from column 14. The difference is the balance owed or credit balance to be entered into column 13.

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Next, you’ll want to complete the Adjustment Detail Worksheet. Using this worksheet will greatly simplify the closing process. Please see the blank Utility Adjustment Sheet on the following page. Please make copies for your use.

1. Enter the accounts on which you made adjustments at the top of each

column. The example shown is using the same adjustments we used as examples from the Month Summary Form. The accounts are rent, utilities, misc., and security deposit.

2. Verify that each space with an adjustment on the Month Summary Form has an adjustment listed on the Adjustment Detail Worksheet. It is best to record adjustments on both sheets at the same time.

3. Working from top to bottom, total the amounts at the bottom of each account column.

4. Working from left to right, add the account totals at the bottom of the page. Put the total at the bottom of the total column.

5. Working from left to right, total the adjustments for each space in the total column.

6. Crosscheck the total adjustments to each account by adding the total column. It should equal the amount already recorded there.

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Once that’s done, you’re ready for the Park Recap Form. The Park Recap Form is easily completed using the Month Summary Report and the Adjustment Detail Worksheet. All of the adjustments made on the Month Summary Form are from columns 6 through 9 and column 11. These are shown and totaled on the Adjustment Detail Worksheet. Please note that these are the only columns that are listed as adjustments. The new previous balance amounts, credit amounts, and loss of rent amounts are not entered on the Adjustment Detail Worksheet because they do not adjust this month’s closing totals.

1. Enter the adjustment amounts for each account in the adjustment spot

directly to the right of the account total listed on the Park Recap Form. 2. If you need to adjust an account that does not appear on the Park

Recap Form, use the first available blank line in the left-hand column to write in the account name. You can then put the adjustment amount in the adjustment column.

3. Working from left to right, fill in the column labeled “Final” by adding or subtracting the adjustments from the account totals.

4. Working from top to bottom, add the adjustment column. Write the total on the “This Month Billed” line. Please note that this line is above the previous balance and credit amounts and therefore they are not included in the calculations as yet.

5. Working from top to bottom, add the Final column. Write the total next to your total adjustments on the “This Month Billed” line.

6. Adding the “This Month Billed” amount to your total adjustments should equal the total of your Final column.

7. Working from left to right, add the previous balance and credit lines to the adjustments. Place the totals in the Final Column.

8. Working from top to bottom, add the adjustment column for just the previous balance and credit lines. Write the total on the “Net Carryover” line.

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9. Working from top to bottom, add the Final column for just the previous balance and credit lines. Write the total next to your total adjustments on the “Net Carryover” line.

10. Working from left to right on the “Net Carryover” line, the account total plus the adjustment total should equal the Final total.

11. Add the Final amounts from the “This Month Billed” and the “Net Carryover” lines. Place the total on the “Total Receivables” line next to the adjustment amount.

12. Add the Final amounts from the “This Month Billed” and the “Net Carryover” lines. Place the total on the “Total Receivables” line next to the adjustment amount.

13. Working from left to right on the “Total Receivables” line, the account total plus the adjustment total should equal the Final total.

Now that we have finished calculating what we should have received, we need to balance against what we actually received.

1. Enter the dates and amounts of bank deposits into the right-hand column of the Park Recap Form.

2. Working from top to bottom, add the deposit amounts. 3. Enter the total deposit amount on the “TOTAL DEP” line. 4. Enter the total loss of rent amount from column 14 of the Month

Summary Report on the “+LossOfRent” line. 5. Enter the total unpaid balances from column 13 of the Month

Summary Report on the “+New Prebal” line. 6. Enter the total credits from column 13 of the Month Summary Report

on the “-New Credit” line. 7. Add total deposits to loss of rent and previous balances. Subtract

credits, and put total in “=New Total” line. If everything has been recorded and calculated correctly, the “=New Total” line will agree with the “Total Receivables” line. Good Luck!!

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Tenant Change Form In the monthly billing package, each park will receive a Tenant Change Form. Managers list on these forms all changes in information about tenants and send the top copy of the form back to Park Billing the next month with the meter readings. The Tenant Change Form is designed to go directly to the typists at Park Billing for immediate entry. Each Tenant Change Form has 21 lines for 21 separate pieces of information. Three columns divide each line into places for the space number, change code, and the new information. It is important to never put more than one code per line.

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The data entry person types exactly what each line contains. Therefore, it is important that what you have written is exactly what you want entered. To have your billing processed quickly, it is important to closely follow the instructions for listing tenant changes.

1. Verify that the park number at the top left corner is the park number that you wish to make a change to.

2. Print legibly using blue or black ink, and fill in the space number that needs a change made.

3. Determine the change code that applies to the type of change you want to make. Please see complete the list of codes following these instructions. Change codes are always 2 letters.

4. List the change code in the column titled “code” to the right of the space number.

5. Under “New Information For Computer” list the information exactly as you want it to appear on your billing. For example, if a space now shows a name as Tom and Sarah Smith, to change it to Sarah Smith simply write in Sarah Smith. It is not appropriate to write in “delete Tom”, etc.

6. To delete information in a change code, write in the space number, change code, and either draw a triangle under “New Information For Computer” (the delete symbol), or simply write the word “delete”.

Vacant Spaces: There are three methods of accounting for vacant spaces.

1. In order to receive no bill, and have no totals for that space included in your paperwork, simply delete the name.

2. If you would like to have totals for the space included in your paperwork, and receive a bill for your records, use the change code “NA” and write the word “vacant”. Please alert your customer service representative that this is the method that you prefer.

3. If you would like to have totals for the space included in your paperwork, but would not like to receive a bill for your records, use the change code “NA” and write the word “$vacant”. Please alert your customer service representative that this is the method that you prefer.

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Please keep in mind that if the information for a new tenant has some information that is the same as a previous tenant in the same space number, you need change only the items that actually are different. For example, if the street address, city, and rent amounts are the same there is no need to add them again. They are only different if you change them. To make a change to all spaces, use space number “ALL” and then complete the change code and new information spaces. There is a special form for rent changes that affects all spaces. The top lines on the Tenant Change Form may be used to note changes you wish to make to the printed message that appears on all tenant statements for the park. This type of message will continue to appear unless another change is submitted.

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Tenant Change Codes Code Meaning New Information For

Computer #of characters

NA Name of tenant Name to appear on bill 30 N1 Name line above tenant name Typically used for c/o names 30 ST Street address Street address (not city) 30 CI City address City, State, Zip 30 RE Rent Rent amount 0.01 to 9999.99 PB Previous balance Balance owed 0.01 to 9999.99 CR Credit Credit or overpayment 0.01 to 9999.99 T1 Temporary Chg Name of charge and amount 10 for name

Appears only on current billing (Ex: “late chg $15.00”) 0.01 to 9999.99 T2 Same Same Same T3 Same Same Same T4 Same Same Same T5 Same Same Same S1 Special Chg 1 Name of charge and amount 10 for name

Recurring monthly charge (Ex: “late chg $5.00”) 0.01 to 9999.99 S2 Special Chg 2 Same Same S3 Special Chg 3 Same Same S4 Special Chg 4 Same Same S5 Special Chg 5 Same Same S6 Special Chg 6 Same Same S7 Special Chg 7 Same Same S8 Special Chg 8 Same Same S9 Special Chg 9 Same Same MS Message to one space Individual message 54 SG Start gas read Gas read to begin tenant 4 or 5 SE Start elect read Elect read to begin tenant 5 SW Start water read Water read to begin tenant 4, 5, or 6 CG Current gas read Current gas read for billing 4 or 5 CE Current elect read Current elect read for billing 5 CW Current water read Current water read for billing 4,5,or 6 BG Bill gas Yes = Y, No = N 1 BE Bill electric Yes = Y, No = N 1 BW Bill Water Yes = Y, No = N 1

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WF Water factor Type of water meter 1 WV Sewer wave factor Call your service rep 4 MI Move in date MM/DD/YY 8 SD Security Deposit (not a charge) Deposit amount held by park 0.01 to 9999.99 TE Telephone number Tenant telephone number 12 LE Lease end date MM/DD/YY 8 LA Lease anniversary date MM/DD/YY 8 LT Lease term MM- (your lease term info) 9 GL Gas Care (low-income) MM/DD/YY 8 EL Elect Care (low-income) MM/DD/YY 8 LS Elect life support Call your service rep 5 LG Gas life support Call your service rep 5 EA EAPR (low-income) Call your service rep 1 EH Electric heat Call your service rep 1 EX Tax Exempt Yes = Y, No = N 1 DS Daily Sewer use Call your service rep Up to 0.99999 AC Alternate water chart Call your service rep 1

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Special Charges Tenant Change Form Special charges are permanent charges that can be given different names such as RV, Pet Fee, Storage, etc. There are 9 special charges available to use as 9 different types of permanent charges. These established charge names appear across the top of the Special Charge Tenant Change Form. Using this form for special charges saves time in filling out the tenant changes. Any item filled out on this form does not need to be filled out on the other type of Tenant Change Form.

1. Fill in the space number that has a change. 2. Fill in the dollar amount under the charge type that needs to be

changed. The amount you write in is the amount that will appear on the tenant bill. You may make as many changes to that space as necessary to special charges on one line.

3. Write only under a code that requires a change for that space. Do not enter zeroes etc. under other charge types.

4. To delete a special charge using this form, enter the space number, and draw a triangle under the charge type that you need to delete.

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Rent Change Form The Rent Change Form is used to make rent changes to an entire park without writing every new rent amount on a Tenant Change Form.

1. Make sure to fill in the month/day/year that the rent change is to take effect. This is located as the top of the form.

2. Fill out option “A” if the rent change is an increase of the same dollar amount to all spaces. Ex: $10.00 increase all spaces.

3. Fill out option “B” if the rent change is a decrease of the same dollar amount to all spaces. Ex: $10.00 decrease all spaces.

4. Fill out option “C” if the rent increase is by a fixed percentage for all spaces. Ex: 5.2% increase all spaces.

5. Fill out option “D” if you have more than one fixed rent rate that will change to other fixed rent rates. Ex: All rents at $200.00 will be $220.00 and all rents at $250.00 will be $300.00.

6. If you have any spaces that should not be affected by any of the above scenarios, each space and the rent amount that they should be charged is to be written on the Tenant Change Form.

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Meter Read Chart Park Billing provides charts monthly for recording meter readings. Please use black or dark blue ink to fill in the meter readings. You are welcome to fax your meter readings to Park Billing for speedy processing. Please be sure to fax the top copy of the Meter Read Chart so that the numbers are dark and legible when received. The top line of the Meter Read Chart shows the account number assigned to the park, the name of the park, the city address of the park, the date of the previous meter readings, and the page number. The second line of the Meter Read Chart requires the current meter read date to be filled in. This is extremely important to fill in as your billing will not be run until Park Billing knows what date the tenant meters were read. The information for each space is listed between dotted lines. The left-hand column lists the space number and the tenant name. If desired, Park Billing is able to list the street address instead of the tenant name.

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The first blank line is to enter the current gas meter reading. Directly to the right of the blank line is the gas meter reading from the previous month. Above the previous gas meter reading is the previous month’s gas usage. If your park does not have individual gas meters leave these lines blank. The center blank line is to enter the current electric meter reading. Directly to the right of the blank line is the electric meter reading from the previous month. Above the previous electric meter reading is the previous month’s electric usage. If your park does not have individual electric meters leave these lines blank. The last blank line is to enter the current water meter reading. Directly to the right of the blank line is the water meter reading from the previous month. Above the previous water meter reading is the previous month’s water usage. If your park does not have individual water meters leave these lines blank. Always write in the meter readings exactly as they appear on the meter. Park Billing does not need meter readers to add digits in the front of the meter reading to indicate that the meter has “rolled over”.

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After we update your current meter readings, we run a trend analysis to determine if any spaces have a high usage. We try and fax these errors to you immediately. Please reread these meters and fax the information to Park Billing as soon as possible. If you do not have a fax machine, or we cannot get through, we will review the changes and either make changes or call you to review them.

If we make changes without your knowledge, we will include a note with your billing package alerting you to what we changed. Please review these and let us know of any further changes that might be necessary.

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Special Services Park Billing provides a variety of reports and services upon request. Special Reports

1. Tenant Dump – The Tenant Dump is a spreadsheet that shows each tenant’s space number, name, street address, meter read order, special charges, current meter readings, etc. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished upon request at no additional fee.

2. Dump of a Charge Code – Similar to the Tenant Dump, Park Billing can provide a list of all charges for any charge code. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished upon request at no additional charge.

3. Security Deposit Listing – A listing of all security deposits on record as being held by the park. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished upon request at no additional charge.

4. Alphabetical Listing – A list of tenants and their space numbers sorted in alphabetical order. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished upon request at no additional charge. This report can also be printed with the tenant telephone number.

5. Jprint – The Jprint report is a spreadsheet that is similar to the Month Summary Report. The difference is that it has more columns and each charge code can be shown separately. It is available to be printed on either one-part or two-part greenbar paper. It can be single, double, or triple spaced. This report can be furnished upon request at no additional expense and in most cases, replaces the Monthly Summary Report.

6. A Option – An accounts receivable adjustment spreadsheet that is printed on greenbar paper. This report can be furnished upon request at no additional expense.

7. Trend Analysis – The Trend Analysis is a spreadsheet that shows nine months of utility usage for each space. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished at no additional expense.

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8. Mile Report – This report is printed on Two-Part 8 1/2 x 11 white

paper and lists each space that is currently receiving a CARE discount for gas or electricity. This report can be furnished upon request at no additional expense.

9. Park Owner’s Report – The Park Owner’s report is a spreadsheet for owners having several parks on the Park Billing system. It is a management tool that shows a ready comparison of the cash flow, vacancy rates, etc. of all parks for a single owner. This report is printed on greenbar paper and can be furnished upon request at no additional charge.

Special Services

1. Window Envelopes – Custom Window envelopes can be provided upon request at no additional expense.

2. Dividing reports – Any report that Park Billing produces on two-part paper can be divided with a copy sent to the owner as well as the park at no additional expense.

3. Park Billing Labels – Pre-printed labels with Park Billing’s mailing address can be provided upon request at no additional expense.

4. Tenant Mailing Labels – Tenant address labels can be provided at an expense of $0.02 per space plus a $10.00 set up fee.

5. Month Summary Report – An extra Month Summary Report can be printed and mailed at an additional expense of $0.25 per page plus a $5.00 set up fee.

6. Resident Statements mailed directly – Resident Statements can be mailed directly to the residents’ mailing addresses with a copy of the bills being sent to the park manager or owner. The cost of this service is $0.05 per printed bill to divide, $0.15 per printed bill to place in envelopes, plus postage cost per printed bill. It is important to alert Park Billing to any statements that will need additional postage, such as statements being mailed out of the country, etc. Newsletters can be included in the envelopes with the Resident Statements for an additional $0.05 per printed bill, and any additional postage.

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Technical Services

1. Handheld meter reading device – Park Billing can provide a handheld device that stores the meter readings as the park employee reads the meters. As the meter readings are entered, the new readings are compared to the previous readings that are stored in the device. If a discrepancy is detected, the device will request a confirmation of the meter reading. This is an extremely useful tool, usually used at properties that exceed 100 individual meters.

2. P.A.R.K.S. software – Park Billing has programmed an accounts receivable software program aimed at manufactured housing communities. There is no charge for the software and technical support by telephone. There is a $10.00 monthly fee for the update floppy disk.

3. PBManager - PBManager is a web-based accounts receivable system that automates basic community duties. Entering payments, deposit slips, 3 and 60 day notices for California properties and end of month balancing are just a few of the simple, automated functions. The cost for this service is $25.00 monthly plus $0.05 per space.

4. eTools – Print Meter Read Charts, transmit Tenant Change Forms and Meter Read charts and print meter reading exceptions are a few of the free services through eTools. Call your Customer Service Representative to set up your password.

5. Various update floppy disks – Park Billing has the ability provide update disks to interface with several general ledger and accounts receivable software programs including, but not limited to, YARDI, AMSI, MRI, Rent Manager and more.

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