CAMBRIDGE REAL ESTATE SERVICES
Save the Date: Friday, May 3rd
Spectrum Seminars will be hosting Fair Housing Training in the Boise area
All Boise area employees will be invited to attend and employees from other states may be invited to travel… budget permitting
Be on the lookout for more information coming soon!
For those properties who encounter ice during the winter months, please be advised of the following policy:
Cambridge prohibits the use of chemical ice melt products due to the fact that these products have proven to cause significant damage to concrete walkways. The damage caused to walkways can not only result in costly repairs to the concrete, but these chemicals are oftentimes only partially effective in dealing with stubborn ice and snow.
Instead of ice melt products, Cambridge encourages the use of sand and/or gravel along pathways during inclement weather.
For further directions and advice, please contact your property supervisor.
Do you have a first aid kit on your property? If not, please make sure to obtain one so you are prepared in the case of an emergency.
During the onset of very cold weather conditions, we remind managers of the following:
This holiday season is a joyous time for people of many different cultures. Many families and friends will reconnect and share celebrations together. Because resident’s religions are often diverse, it’s hard to know about every holiday that may be celebrated. One way to avoid fair housing trouble during the holiday season is to celebrate the season, and not a particular holiday. Keep any common area decorations put up by management, community sponsored parties, gifts and greetings religion-neutral.
In the event of power outages or black outs employees can be prepared by doing the following:
As we approach the holiday season, we would like to remind employees of the following:
For more information please reference the Employee Handbook
The definition of an asset is any item of economic value owned by an individual which could be converted to cash. Common examples are cash on hand; bank accounts including checking, savings; CDs and money market accounts; and real estate.
As you may know, many companies – including Cambridge — are now offering Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) for employer-provided health care benefits. HSAs come with a debit card that employees have direct access to that are (supposed) to be used for medical-related expenses. Employees can use the debit card for non-medical expenses however those who do risk an IRS audit and can have penalties for using the HSA card for non-medical related expenses.
We recently approached the state agencies to understand if we should be verifying and counting HSA accounts as assets. At this time, the state agencies do not believe that HSA accounts should be considered as an asset.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact:
Kristin Strong
Email: kstrong@cambridgeres.com
Direct: 503.450.0231
Please take a moment to read the below article and see how you can help solve some of the BCL Issues the accounting team will often run into when they are processing the BCLs. Each time they find a problem, they have to stop, go back into the BCL and adjust or re-enter information. Your attention to these details is much appreciated!
HD SUPPLY INVOICES
Problem: When using the HD Supply “GL Summary” to code invoices, often times accounting will find that the line items under the amount that says “No GL account” are all coded to 6822.
Solution: The items listed on the GL Summary under “No GL Account” should be coded individually after determining what the items were. Use the detailed invoice to understand which items they are and then code them accordingly. You can hit the F3 key in AMSI for list of GL Codes.
PETTY CASH
Problem: Accounting is receiving Petty Cash envelopes with 3 months of receipts rather than receiving receipts as the expenses occur.
Solution: Petty Cash envelopes should be sent in when the petty cash gets down to half of the fund, but not less than once a month.
INVOICE DATES
Problem: When invoices are entered into BCL the date is not changed to match the invoice date.
Solution: Making a habit of always changing the date so it accurately reflects the invoice date.
GL CODE—STANDARD TV (Oregon Properties)
Problem: Accounting receives BCL’s coded to STA524 for Standard TV and Appliance.
Solution: The correct vendor code is GCD501.
Thank you for your help with these details and let your accountant know if you have any questions or need clarification.
Managers are encouraged to review their recent Monthly Manager’s report paying special attention to the number of preventive maintenance inspections completed so far this year.
It is Cambridge’s policy that we conduct these inspections no less than twice annually. By now every property should have completed their first round of PM inspections and should be well into their second set of inspections.
If this is not the case for your property, please contact your supervisor for tips and suggestions for the timely completion of these required inspections by year end.
For more information on Preventative Maintenance Inspections click here!