Project Overview
A UK commercial property management company managing 840 commercial properties for 120 clients (investment fun...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK commercial property management company managing 840 commercial properties for 120 clients (investment funds, REITs, family offices) needed to replace their legacy property management software (MRI Software, 15-year-old installation). Service charge reconciliation, lease event management (break clauses, rent reviews, lease expiries), RICS compliance, MEES 2027 (commercial EPC requirement), and HMRC VAT on commercial property were the requirements. Budget: £130,000.
Our Approach
Commercial lease lifecycle
25-year leases with quarterly rent reviews, 5-year break clauses, and dilapidations at lease end.
Event engine
lease imported as structured data (lease start, term, rent review dates, break clause dates, lease expiry).
Automated alerts
12 months, 6 months, 3 months, 30 days before each event.
Break clause management
tenant notice window tracked, landlord counter-notice period, break conditions (all rent paid, covenants complied with).
Rent review
upward-only review calculated at review date.
RICS Service Charge Code
transparent service charge accounting.
Annual service charge reconciliation
actual expenditure vs budget, apportioned per lease (by floor area or fixed percentage).
Tenant statement
itemised expenditure, each tenant's apportionment calculation.
Service charge audit
property manager review workflow before issue to tenants.
Dispute management
tenant can raise formal dispute with supporting calculation.
RICS reconciliation format
auto-generated PDF in RICS-standard format.
MEES 2027 Portfolio Compliance Dashboard
MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards): commercial lettings must have EPC rating E minimum now, EPC C by 2027.
Portfolio dashboard
840 properties × EPC rating → MEES compliance RAG.
Properties with EPC D or below
improvement action plan with cost estimate (DEA — Domestic Energy Assessor quotation integration).
MEES exemption register
properties where improvement is not cost-effective (valid exemption recorded and displayed).
HMRC EPC Register API
- EPC data auto-retrieved and refreshed annually.
- VAT on Commercial Property —
HMRC VAT on commercial property
landlords can opt to tax commercial lettings (standard rate 20%).
Option to Tax register
HMRC Option to Tax notification (VAT1614A) tracked per property — cannot levy VAT on rent without valid Option to Tax.
Rent invoicing
VAT charged only on properties with active Option to Tax.
Service charge VAT
- follows the VAT treatment of the underlying rent.
- Auto-generated VAT invoices (Making Tax Digital compliant — digital link from property management to VAT return).
The Results
Platform live at 20 weeks, £122,000 — under budget.
Lease event zero-miss rate: 100% in first 12 months (legacy: 3 missed break clauses in prior year — each required expensive legal remedy).
Service charge reconciliation: 18 working days → 3 working days automated.
MEES compliance visibility: 840 properties assessed, 124 below EPC C identified for 2027 action planning.
VAT Option to Tax accuracy: 100% (0 invoices issued in error — legacy: 12 in prior year).
RICS audit: zero findings.
“Three missed break clauses in the prior year — each required a solicitor and cost us significantly. Zero in the first 12 months on the new platform. The MEES 2027 dashboard put the 124 at-risk properties in front of the right people for the first time. VAT Option to Tax errors were a professional embarrassment — zero errors now." — Managing Director, UK Commercial Property Management Company (name withheld)”
Project Details
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