In this video, we will take a quick tour of
the features of our latest Building Manager
Online Tenant Billing software module.
Navigate to the BMO website using your browser.
While most current browsers will work, Google
Chrome is the preferred choice.
Other options may exhibit some formatting
irregularities.
Enter your user email and password to log
in.
This will take you to the main user management
screen where you will have easy access to
the various Properties and devices assigned
to your user account.
The tenant billing solution includes all the
features of the Basic and Advanced Reporting
modules, so we would encourage you to also
view the separate overviews for more details
on these features.
The Basic Module overview covers the initial
setup of the properties, devices and points
used in throughout the BMO system.
For the purposes of this overview, we are
going to focus on the Building Manager Online
Tenant Billing module features.
All the primary functions of the Tenant Billing
module are found in the Billing Center.
In the navigation panel on the left, you will
find links to the various setup options for
billing plans, service fees, rates, fee plans,
and manual charges that are used in generating
invoices.
Just below is a list of links to all the properties
assigned to the user.
There is no limit on the number of properties
assigned to an account.
All BMO accounts are structured around the
number of metering points activated on the
system.
So, for billing purposes, each metered item
being billed will count as a metering point.
For example: If billing only includes total
electric usage in kilowatt hours, each tenant
would only require 1 metering point.
Adding water meter billing to the account
would add a 2nd metering point per tenant.
Any standard metered point activated in BMO
would count towards your total points required
for the BMO license.
Every property must have a Billing Plan.
Multiple properties may share a common billing
plan, as is shown here, or any properties
that do not share common rates and structures
may have individual plans.
The main Billing Plans menu lists all the
billing plans and provides quick links to
edit, duplicate or delete plans as you maintain
the system.
Setting up a billing plan begins with this
short form where the plan is named, and a
few key parameters are set.
We expect Leviton tenant billing users will
utilize the Read Bill Only (RBO) option because
their accounting is done in a separate system.
The billing method should be submetered, since
most of the data will come from a submetering
system.
You can set the number of days until the invoices
are due, which controls when late fees are
applied.
There are several options for how late fees
are assessed.
Late fees may be a flat amount, A percentage
of the account balance, A percentage of the
last invoice, Or the lesser of the last two
options.
In our example, we have opted for the flat
amount.
BMO also offers the option to allow your tenants
to view their own usage data from the system
through the Historian portal.
To enable this option for your tenants, simply
check the box.
Next you can select which properties will
use the billing plan.
Clicking on the Properties link opens the
window where you can select which properties
are assigned to this billing plan.
When the form is complete, click the Save
button at the bottom of the screen.
Next let’s take a look at Service Fees.T
hese can be used for a variety of common charges
like move in and move out fees, or monthly
service fees.
All of these fees may be assigned to any or
all of the properties being managed.
One of the key pieces of the tenant billing
setup are the rates for each utility being
billed.
There are no limits to the number of rates
you can create, so the system can be used
to bill for any or all the utilities like
electricity, water and gas.
Each utility is set up with its own specific
rate structure, which can be a flat amount,
or follow a time of use, or tiered usage model.
In addition to the standard rates and fees,
the tenant billing system also allows for
manual charges for other miscellaneous items.
If there are other services or costs that
need to be billed from time to time, the manual
charges may offer a good alternative.
