Property Accountant

People Dimension; Pretoria; On-site; ZAR 480,000 - 640,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Group Provident Fund included in CTC

15 days annual leave

Job summary

People Dimension is seeking a Property Accountant to manage day-to-day accounting for the property portfolio and to compile reporting packs for the Asset Manager. The role covers tenant billing, recoveries and monthly close per property, with close collaboration to the Asset Manager on portfolio performance.

The ideal candidate holds a BCom or Diploma in Accounting with solid property accounting experience, including knowledge of MDA or MRI Property Central, and SA municipal/utility recoveries.

Qualifications

• A relevant accounting qualification — e.g. BCom / Diploma in Accounting.
• Solid commercial property accounting experience including tenant billing, recoveries and month-end.
• Hands-on experience with a property management system (MDA / MRI Property Central).
• Strong knowledge of municipal and utility recoveries in a South African context.

Responsibilities

• Tenant billing & leases: process monthly billing accurately and on time per signed lease terms.
• Recoveries: bill and reconcile municipal and utility recoveries with accurate ratios.
• Building bookkeeping: maintain complete books per building; keep GL clean.
• Reconciliations: reconcile tenant accounts, deposits and inter-company balances.
• Month-end close: run close per property and deliver figures to deadline.
• Reporting support: prepare packs for Asset Manager and portfolio performance review.

Skills

Tenant billing

Recoveries

Month-end close

Financial reporting

Inter-company balances

Education

BCom in Accounting

Diploma in Accounting

Tools

MDA / MRI Property Central

Job description

The Property Accountant is responsible for the day-to-day accounting of the company’s property portfolio and for compiling the financial reporting packs that support the Asset Manager. The role covers tenant billing and recoveries, municipal and utility recovery reconciliations, building-level bookkeeping, month-end close per property, and the preparation of budget-to-actual and portfolio performance reporting inputs.

The role reports to the Financial Manager, with a functional (dotted) line to the Asset Manager for reporting matters. Success looks like clean, on-time property books, accurate recoveries, and reporting packs the Asset Manager can trust without re-checking.

The company is a South African commercial property holding group with retail and office assets. Within Finance & GRC, the Property Accountant sits alongside the Creditors, Debtors and Cashbook functions and works closely with the Asset Manager on portfolio reporting.

Key Responsibilities:

• Tenant billing & leases: Process monthly tenant billing (rentals, operating costs, rates, parking and other charges) accurately and on time, in line with signed lease terms.

• Recoveries: Calculate, bill and reconcile tenant recoveries — including municipal and utility recoveries (electricity, water, rates, refuse) and ensure recovery ratios and reconciliations are accurate.

• Building bookkeeping: Maintain complete, accurate books per building / entity: process invoices, allocate costs correctly, and keep the general ledger clean.

• Reconciliations: Reconcile tenant accounts, municipal accounts, deposits and inter-company balances; investigate and clear reconciling items promptly.

• Month-end close: Run month-end close per property — accruals, journals, straight-lining where applicable — and deliver accurate management figures to deadline.

• Deposits & arrears: Maintain tenant deposit records and support the Debtors’ function on arrears, credit control and tenant queries.

Reporting Support to Asset Management:

• A defined part of the role is producing the financial reporting the Asset Manager uses to manage portfolio performance. The Property Accountant compiles and prepares the packs; the Asset Manager owns the strategic interpretation.

• Budget-to-actual per building: Prepare monthly and quarterly budget-versus-actual packs per property, with clear variance detail.

• NOI & portfolio performance: Compile net operating income, yield, occupancy / vacancy and other performance metrics for the Asset Performance Review.

• Recoveries reporting: Provide recovery-ratio and utility-recovery reporting so recovery accuracy is visible and defensible.

• Annual budgets: Assist the Asset Manager in preparing and consolidating annual property budgets and forecasts.

Contract Type and Duration:

This is a permanent, full-time position.

Work Hours

Standard work hours are 08:00 am to 17:00 pm, Monday to Friday (including lunch).

Experience and Qualifications:

• A relevant accounting qualification — e.g. BCom / Diploma in Accounting, or part-qualified (SAIPA / SAICA / CIMA) or an experienced property bookkeeper with a strong track record.

• Solid, demonstrable commercial property accounting experience (retail and/or office), including tenant billing, recoveries and month-end — this is essential.

• Hands-on experience in a property management system, ideally MDA / MRI Property Central.

• Strong working knowledge of municipal and utility recoveries in a South African context.

Benefits:

• Group Provident Fund included in CTC above (Employee & Employer contributions: 4.5% each)

• 15 days of annual leave