Some HOAs bill their homeowners for utilities such as Water or Electric. For this reason, Vantaca has added functionality to make billing easier. The following article will explain how to set up the necessary Assessment Rules, apply these charges via imports, and explain some of the Statement changes that this feature brings.

Table of Contents:

• Assessment Setup
• Post Utility Charge Import
• Utility Statements

Assessment Setup

Before any Utility charges can be added--either manually or through import--the charges must be set up under the Association > Assessments screen. This will follow the same process as any other Assessment, except as noted below. 

Below are recommendations or best practices for setting up a Utility Charge.

Description: This Description will appear on the Ledger, Portal, and any Statement that is sent. This description will also be exactly what is entered on any imports dealing with this charge.

Type of Charge: Best Practice for Utility charges is to have them set up as Assessments. This is done so that Utility charges, if desired, can be run as separate invoices using the Generating Homeowner Invoice Action Item.  

Billing Format: Set this to Statement. There is no need for these to be Coupons.

Subledger: It is possible to set these charges up as Subledgers. Subledgers allow for completely separate billing, including an account suffix (such as 12345678UTL). For more info on Subledgers, visit Creating a Subledger

Back to Top

Post Utility Charges Import

The best and easiest way to add utility charges to multiple owners is to use the Post Utility Charges Import. Below is a screenshot of the import template, and a link to download this template is included at the end of this section. Each column maps to the corresponding field in Vantaca. 

Note: When entering the "Charge" column, be sure that your Charge matches exactly what is shown in the Association > Assessments page.  

From the Settings > Import page, click New Import and select the Post Utility Charges import. If you followed the template, you should not need to make any changes. If the Column Headers are off, you can use the Unmatched Tab to Match your column for what Vantaca is looking for. If your Charge does not match the Association > Assessment page, the Translations Tab will map what's in your Import to the correct Assessment.

Utility Import Template Download

Back to Top

Utility Statements

Vantaca uses the same process for statements with and without Utility Billing. For more information on producing statements through Vantaca, visit Generate Statements (Billing Preference).

When Utility Billing is used, the Meter Reading and Rate section appears in line below the Charge Type as shown below. Below the itemized list is also a spot for a "Utility Billing Message." 

Like other Statement Messages, that Message is set on the Association > Settings page at the bottom of the Statement Section. This message can be set on your Model and applied to any Association that uses Utility billing, or set up on an individual Association.

Back to Top