Yolande Diergaardt

Debt Collection Responsibilities

1. Daily Follow-Ups

• Conduct daily follow-ups on outstanding debtor balances, specifically tenant accounts in arrears.
• Update the Age Analysis report daily, recording follow-ups on payments and any arrangements made.

2. Issuance of Notices and Legal Documentation

• Issue Letters of Demand after the 7th of each month for debtors who have failed to make payments.
• Draft Acknowledgement of Debt (AOD) agreements and ensure they are signed by relevant parties, with adherence to agreed payment terms.

3. Reporting and Reconciliation

• Prepare monthly management reports on both legal and non-legal outstanding debtors (tenants).
• Reconcile debtor accounts monthly and send statements to tenants for payment verification on accounts with outstanding balances
• Bi Weekly check in with Portfolio Manager on Arrear Report
• BI-Weekly OPCO meetings to discuss high end critical items in the property management department
• Report and submission of Manco (Management Collections Arrears Report monthly) Property Management department

4. Payment Processing and Account Management

• Capture daily receipts, ensuring payments are recorded and allocated correctly.
• Request remittances when payment allocations are unclear and query unallocated deposits with the bank.
• Verify that items billed on accounts align with the lease agreements in place.

5. Meetings and Account Reviews

• Conduct monthly meetings with the Portfolio Manager to discuss outstanding tenant balances.
• Engage with tenants to resolve account queries and provide necessary assistance.

6. Legal Action and Credit Listing

• List defaulting tenants on ITC for legal recovery purposes.
• Compile necessary documentation for legal handover of accounts.

7. Account Adjustments and Deposit Refunds

• Process account adjustments, prepare documentation for management sign-off, and apply necessary changes to tenant accounts.
• Initiate the deposit refund process upon tenant vacating the premises, ensuring facility managers' inspection reports determine whether refunds or deductions apply.

8. Utility Billing and Collections

• Liaise with Pec Metering, an outsourced company managing electricity readings, billings, and collections.
• Oversee in-house electricity collections while ensuring monthly meter readings continue through Pec Metering.
• Approve disconnections for non-payment and authorize reconnection's once outstanding balances are settled.

9. Tenant and Retailer Account Management

• Work closely with national retailers to ensure accounts are up to date and all billing items align with contractual agreements.
• Ensure all new tenants sign debit order mandates and existing tenants comply with the mandate.

10. Compliance and Policy Enforcement

• Enforce adherence to all debt collection policies and procedures, ensuring legal and financial compliance in all tenant transactions.
• Maintain accurate records of all communications, transactions, and legal proceedings related to debt collection.
• Work closely with finance department on provisions for bad debt ,to intervene early and mitigating risk exposure
• Coordinate with legal counsel to address any litigation or eviction proceedings, protecting property owner interests and minimizing liability exposure.

Leasing Function Responsibilities

1. Lease Management

• Oversee the full lease cycle, including the preparation and distribution of lease offers and other required documentation as directed by the Portfolio Manager.
• Ensure proper documentation and compliance checks before lease agreements are finalized.

2. Tenant Vetting and Risk Assessment

• Verify Financial Intelligence Act (FIA) documentation received for all new and renewing tenants.
• Conduct performance and credit bureau checks for all prospective tenants and renewals.
• Perform a risk assessment post-vetting to determine the appropriate deposit amount to be charged.

3. Lease Finalization and Compliance

• Ensure all lease agreements are signed by management before tenants take beneficial occupation.
• Calculate applicable stamp duties and ensure leases are stamped within the legally required timeframe.
• Process all related billing on the property system, including monthly invoices and deposits.
• Distribute signed and stamped leases to tenants and ensure proper filing of lease documents.

4. Tenant Coordination and Property Readiness

• Coordinate with the projects team on-site visits to ensure completion of sites before tenant occupation.
• Work with the Facilities Department to conduct tenant inspections before occupancy and after lease termination.

5. Rental and Recovery Management

• Review and update tenant rentals and recoveries in the system.
• Calculate and apply annual municipal increases to tenant records accordingly.
• Maintain accurate tenant files in both electronic and hard copy formats.

6. Lease Termination and Adjustments

• Ensure all outstanding recoveries are addressed before terminating leases.
• Prepare and process lease adjustments upon management approval.

7. Reporting and Compliance

• Generate and submit monthly reports on lease renewals and unsigned leases for management meetings.
• Ensure all leasing activities comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
• Participated in client meetings as a subject matter expert on portfolio administration topics, enhancing customer trust in our team''s expertise.
• Resolved complex client inquiries regarding account transactions or holdings promptly and professionally, maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

• Provide correct invoicing to client, facilitate processing of receipts and debt collection
• Execute efficient and correct debt collection process
• Check invoices on advertising is correct before going out, tenant billed for adverts appeared in newspaper
• Daily checking of bank statements and allocating receipts to correct accounts
• Monthly reconciliation of debtor accounts
• Debt collection by phoning outstanding debtors, payment collections
• Working with Client sales executives from different publications on adverts, receiving correct quotes
• Assisting with queries of clients
• Working with different government ministries, town councils ensuring orders created for adverts placed for payment
• Quotes created matches invoices billed and orders correctly matches
• Issuing of credit notes for incorrect pricing, adverts not right and journals for customers already paid, payments not allocated on accounts
• Weekly meetings with General Manager Finance on updates on outstanding debtor accounts
• Assisting with circulation, newspapers delivered to different retail outlets Monthly distribution of debtor statements to clients, ensuring statements gets delivered on time to clients
• Client visit, attend to queries ensuring client is satisfied with outcome
• Reconciling of Sales Executives Cash accounts ensuring daily receipts and Eft payments allocated to correctly on cash accounts
• Preparing of Bad debts hand overs and submit to Senior management for sign off to start legal process with attorneys
• System Knowledge: Sagex3 Accpac, 4cplus
• Health and Safety Representative - Finance Department
• First Aid, Basic OSH Principles, Basic Fire Fighting Level One
• Cashier duties (relief when cashier is on leave )
  • Receiving money from walk in clients for cash sales of placement of adverts and
  account payments
  • Issuing of receipts
  • Creating tax invoices for cash adverts placed
  • Counting and checking daily newspapers sold from street vendors
  • Daily banking of street sales ,debtor account payments and cash sales
  Daily banking and payments
  • Allocation daily payments on bank statements for debtor account payments and cash
• Served as a liaison between departments, fostering open communication channels that improved overall organizational function.

• Recons of All Major Debtors Account on a weekly Basis
• Preparing of weekly Debtors reports on outstanding auctions, liaison services, reporting
• Weekly to General Manager Livestock and the operations Manager Livestock
• Closing of debtors accounts outstanding and giving feedback to agents on accounts closed
• To purchase on upcoming auctions until payment is received
• Sending out letters of demand
• Preparing and submitting of Legal Documentation of Handed over's to senior management for approval before submitting it to the attorneys
• Receiving of Credit applications and processing it on ITC for verification, submitting it to Senior management for approval
• Assisting livestock agents on Debtors Accounts for upcoming auctions or liaison services and giving feedback to the livestock branches
• Issuing of receipts on the bank statement to the various debtors accounts, assisting with daily banking of cash and cheques paid on the auctions
• Making of Debtor Journals when required on a debtor account
• Assisting clients with auctions and liaison services and tax Certificates
• Sending out of monthly Debtors statements on Purchases done on auctions
• Handling of all debtor related queries
• Doing any operational task that is required of me
• Researched accounts and completed due diligence to resolve collection problems.
• Processed payments and applied to customer balances.
• Generated and mailed updated statements monthly and processed demand letters.
• Accessed credit records to evaluate customer credit histories.
• Completed training in credit management and civil court practices to maintain up-to-date legal knowledge involving collection practices.
• Ensured compliance with corporate credit policies by conducting thorough credit reviews for new and existing customers.
• Negotiated favorable repayment terms for financially distressed clients, balancing compassion for individual circumstances while safeguarding the company''s bottom line.
• Set up and updated customer accounts and CRM with interactions, payments and personal information.
• Enhanced cash flow for the company through efficient debt collection and negotiation techniques.
• Streamlined account reconciliation efforts, resulting in more accurate financial reporting and better decision-making capabilities.
• Collaborated with legal teams for escalated debt recovery cases, ensuring all necessary documentation was prepared and filed accurately in a timely manner.
• Developed strong relationships with key clients, fostering trust and promoting timely payment of invoices.
• Minimized bad debts by identifying high-risk accounts early, allowing for proactive intervention and resolution of issues.
• Reduced past due balances and bad debt by coordinating collection efforts with customer service, sales and billing departments.

• Receiving of Credit Applications of Potential new Client
• Verifying and processing of credit applications on ITC Transunion
• Submitting applications to Senior credit Control officer for approval from Management
• Receiving and Processing of Refer to drawer cheques, calculating administrative cost and interest on defaulting and sending to various retail branches for collection
• Blacklisting of Cheques on very cheque system in on transunion
• Preparing of Monthly Debtors statements, spreadsheets debtors outstanding to the branches, doing follow ups and sending of letter of demands
• Recons of Major debtors accounts and various Ministry accounts
• Daily banking - issuing of receipts to debtors account on accounts paid
• Closing of and balancing daily banking
• Attending to all debtor queries
• Performing any operational task required in the department