Levy tracking and arrears records

A levy is the regular charge each owner pays into the scheme's funds. In New South Wales (NSW) the government says levies "must be charged according to each property's 'unit entitlement'"¹. Unit entitlement is a number tied to each lot. A bigger share means a bigger bill.

That one fact shapes the software. The tool needs a unit entitlement for every lot, and it has to split the budget by it.

What the levy record holds

NSW tells schemes to keep a book or spreadsheet with every lot (leaving out utility lots). For each lot it lists these items²:

• the amount to be paid
• the date payment is due
• which fund it is for and what period it covers
• the amount and date of each payment, and how it was made
• whether it was the full amount or "only part payment"
• details of any early-payment discount
• "the balance remaining"

Put that list next to a demo screen. If a field is missing, ask where it goes.

The levy notice

The NSW page describes the notice as the bill sent to each owner¹. It says an owner must get at least 30 days to pay standard and special levies. For urgent repair levies the minimum is shorter at 14 days. Those are NSW figures only. Other places set their own.

Ask whether the tool works out the due date from the issue date, or leaves you to type it. A date typed by hand is a date someone can get wrong.

Partial payments and arrears

Arrears are amounts that stay unpaid past the due date. The record above already has what you need: the amount due, each payment, and the balance. A good tool works out arrears from those, rather than asking someone to keep a second list.

Part payments are where weaker systems slip. If an owner pays half, does the lot show half paid, with the balance still open? Does it say which levy period the money went against?

Payment plans add another layer. NSW says plans run "for a period of up to 12 months" and can't cover future contributions¹. So a lot may have an old debt on a plan and a new levy falling due at the same time. Ask the maker to show how the screen separates the two.

Questions to put to a maker

• Can it list every lot with a balance, as of any past date?
• Does each payment keep its date, method and fund?
• Can you export the full levy history for one lot?
• Is there a change log if someone edits a balance?
• Which currency and tax settings does it use, and where does the maker's documentation say so?

What the software can't decide

A tool records what was owed and paid. It doesn't say whether you may charge interest, send a demand or take an owner to a tribunal. Those rules depend on your state or country, and they change. The NSW Government's levy pages set out its own steps for debt recovery, and a strata lawyer or your state regulator can confirm yours. This page is general information only.